Christmas Gifts

I.
Well not really Christmas gifts since i started buying them in early November. I have the habit of giving myself gifts whenever i can. hehehe

II.
Wrath of the Lich King: I actually borrowed money from Che to get this but since i have no plans of paying her back (ahem nine west, haha) i'm considering this a gift from her. *not the actual pic*

III.
DVD Drive: I was having problems installing the above game because of my messed up DVD Drive so i got my trusted PC a new DVD Drive.
IV.
Cordless Phone: Something i've been wanting to get for years now. Quite pointless since i rarely use the phone but then again, i still got myself one.




















V.
Skullcandy: I've been dying to get new headphones but i still had the Pioneer headphones Che got for me. But a rat ate the cable and so, i got permission to get myself a new one.I got myself the Skullcandy Hesh and i also got Skullcandy Smokin' Buds for Che. All i can is.... Skullcandy is love.
VI.
And finally, the one i'm most excited about! Mares X-Vision Liquidskin. For better looking underwater pics! hehe and it's in hard to find Mid size.***Post processing done on adobe lightroom.

Anilao December

I.
As you may have already know, we had the BUSRROC checkout a couple of weekends ago. It wasn't what i was expecting. I didn't expect to have much fun since we'll be having training dives, but then again being with my dive group, everything will always be fun.


II.
The day formally started with a couple breakdowns. Yes breakdowns. The van we rented had a flat tire in SLEX and a broken suspension part somewhere in Bauan Batangas. We we're sort of pissed that we were behind schedule and might not be able to do the dives we have been wanting to squeeze into the training.




III.
Nevertheless we managed to get to Dive7000 about an hour late. Briefing started immediately after we arrived. Room keys we're given out. Dale discussed the itineraries which had to be altered since we were behind schedule.

A. Familiarization Dive (For the night dive)
B. Navigation Dive.
C. Night Dive.
Next Day
A. Fun Dive! Twin Rocks
B. And yet another Fun DIVE! Arthur's Rock.
C. Search Dive ( Part of the Training)

I must admit that we were more than ecstatic to know that Dale managed to squeeze in a couple of fun dives for everyone. And knowing we'll be going to twin rocks for the school of jacks known to be inhabiting the site recently.

IV. The familiarization dive was done in front of Dive 7000. It was done to familiarize us with the site we'll be diving later in the evening. Everything went well except for GJ's 400 peso flash light that got flooded (hehe). And we met our first puffer fish. hehehe








V.
For the navigation dive, the group was divided into two. 1st group has Davo, GJ and Noel while the 2nd group included Me, Gene and Che. To my understanding the 1st group's navigation went without a hitch. I screwed up my navigation and a little lack of communication with my team mates led to overshooting the objective. Fortunately we had a lot of air left and Dale was willing to give us another try which we finally passed.

VI.
The night dive was the highlight of the day. We had terrible visibility at 10-20 ft. Noel and GJ got separated and Gene and Davo was stuck in the middle of planktons praying the rumored Anilao Whaleshark wouldn't appear and scare the living daylights out of them. Words can't describe being underwater at night so here's a link to the pics.







VII.
It was a great weekend so far but nothing could have prepared us for what was to come next. Diving in Twin Rocks to see the school of jacks. Fish feeding was fun although i prefer hovering behind the group and just watch the fish. Gene had a scare when a huge batfish attacked the bread in his hand. But still, nothing compares to seeing the school of jacks. It was like staring at a shiny satin curtain made of... well... fish. haha. More pics here.

During the surface interval, Dale wanted to talk to us about some plan changes. I don't like plan changes. But then again after hearing Dale's new plan, we were more than excited to cooperate. Dale decided to have the search and recovery dive at Arthur's Rock. So it wouldn't be just a fun dive. This is to give way to a trip to the cathedral. We'll be swimming from Dive7000 to the Cathedral!

VII.
Search and recovery went well. Other than the fact fact that we didn't follow our own search plan. We managed to recover 4 of the items but i lost one of them (LOL again sorry noel) and me, che and davo getting lost and ended up surfacing quite a distance from our boat. Good thing Dad (Our favorite divemaster) was there to watch over us. It was an epic failure but like i always say, not all search and recovery operations are successful. haha!






VIII.
And so it was time to navigate to The Cathedral. We were told that davo would be given the compass and would be tasked to navigate for the group. It was also our first dive without the training shirts (the white tshirts we always wear) as we were no longer in training. It was an optional dive and no one was required to come. But knowing our group, regardless of how tired we were, everyone went. Compressed air addicts. Che and i also had our first underwater kiss (cheesy but it was my idea haha).

IX.
Overall the weekend was great fun. Dale even promised to take us on a night dive to the Cathedral next time we dive. The weekend answered some of the questions that's been bothering me. Why do i dive? Why risk everything for a mere hobby? And the answer is... because i can. Diving isn't for everyone. You need to really love it to be able to really do and enjoy it. I love the water. I love the ocean. I love the creatures i see when i dive. I love the people i dive with, my group, our instructors, the diveshop the people. I love the idea that no matter how stressed and tired i am, i can always go below the surface and escape from it all even for just a few minutes or an entire weekend, because i am afterall... a diver.

Much thanks to my dive buddies Che, Gene, Davo, GJ and Noel. Our instructors and friends the Garcias. Thank you giving us more than the required training and encouraging us to be better divers. I just love these guys because you don't just dive with instructors, DMs and Rescue Divers when you dive with them, You dive with friends... family even. So again thank you Brett and Dale (instructors), Dad (Brett, Dale and Tweety's Dad who became our Dad as well and is also an accomplished Divemaster) and Tweety (The Garcia's bunso and our beloved Rescue Diver).

Shit Happens

I.
To people who know, i was applying for a supervisory position at work for some time now. I did well in the exam. Apparently i also did well in the interview. Unfortunately everyone else did better. Other applicants had weeks to prepare. I had an hour and a half. So i have an excuse to fail LOL. And fail i did. BUT i had a talk with my Operations Manager earlier and i was offered a project based supervisory position. It's not as good as the post i was applying for but im sure the learning experience will be worth all my time. Thanks to Boss Mic for the trust. I owe you one.

II.
A couple of nights ago, i heard from a friend that an ex of mine died in a fire. She was the secret ex. The one "She" never found out about. It was almost a 3 year relationship. We had good memories but relationship priorities tore us apart. She was the ex i never really expected to hear about again. But then again i had to find out she's dead. She died with her Mom, Dad and her 4 year old daughter Sophie. I've always wanted to meet Sophie. And i never will.

It's strange when people die on you. You suddenly start to remember little details about them. I remember how she likes wearing boots. And how she carefully wears them after getting dressed. How she says "ponget" instead of "pangit" in her strange st. paul/dlsu accent. How she said she never liked sci-fi, that's why she never liked Lord of the Rings (i had a good laugh at her statement). And just how a sweet young woman she is - was.My prayers go out to Marnelli and her family. I still can't get my head around her death.

III.
I guess this is also the time to thank God for all the blessings. I slowly getting where i want to be. Thank you Lord for always being nice to me. And for taking people away but bringing in new ones.

The Birthday Blog

Yeah i know it's long overdue, but still here goes.

I.
The last few years have been very hard on me. It was time for searching,seeking and more searching. It was time of doubt, pain, misery and almost insanity. I came so close to just turning my back on everything and just start walking away. I came so close to ending it all. I could not handle the idea of losing. I was not really a winner, in fact i lose most of the time, and yet losing was so alien to me. I could not handle the doubt. The idea of losing friends and gaining nothing in return. I just wanted to quit.

II.
BUT after turning 27, i started to look back and see what i lost and if i really gained anything. And i have come to realize that although i lost a lot, God is giving back little by little. I hated losing my friends. But God brought new ones into my life. I am almost always broke, and yet i survive.

III.
Thank you to the people of scubadoo diveshop. You guys are the best! Brett, Dale, Dad and Tweety. My OW batchmates: Davo, GJ, Liz, Noel, Anj at sa iba pa, salamat sa mga gabi ng Generoso Brandy and the entertainment. I'll see you guys tomorrow for another challenging but fun (I'm sure) dive training. Search and recovery, kaya ko kaya to? lol.

IV.
The people from work who never stopped believing in me. My Beloved Incident Management Team: The Best Team NSN has ever seen globally. My very good friends Darius, Gene and Brian. Salamat sa company, sa inuman, sa counterstrike, sa WoW, sa pangmamanyak (hahahaha). TJ, Ruwi, Don, Ethel, salamat sa tawa at saya.

V.
And of course, sa Baby ko. It's been a hard two years. A lot of people rejected me when i was at my best. But you stuck with me at my worst and lowest. Words can never really tell how thankful i am for having you in my life. There's not a night that i don't thank God for bringing you into my life. I love you.

Eraserheads

Probably because the show was "bitin", i still have the Eheads fever. I was once again browsing the interweb and came across the write up below. One thing i really noticed about the show was how clean everyone sounded. I remember me and Brian agreeing the their sound was so clean it was like you're listening from a studio CD. I guess what the article said was true, they played their hearts out. Just like a well oiled machine, you can take it apart and use the parts for other things but if you put them all back together, they all remember what they're supposed to do and start working as a single machine again. They all did what they do best... be an Eraserhead.

=====================================================

Eraserheads reunion: A gallant and abbreviated stand

EDWIN P. SALLAN, GMANews.TV

08/31/2008 | 01:54 PM

Ely Buendia was in a reasonable and very legitimate position to ask for it. The guy just lost his mother and was under a lot of stress, mentally, emotionally, and from the exhausted look on his face, physically as well. Having suffered a heart attack not too long ago, he also was not in the best of health to begin with.

I don’t have any personal knowledge if he and the rest of the Eraserheads asked for a postponement of their much awaited reunion concert. He at least was certainly well within his rights to do given the circumstances. After all, tickets were only made available two days before the actual event, so it’s not like there were a lot of refunds to worry about. I’m not sure if it’s a contract thing or simply in the spirit of “the show must go on," but the Eraserheads led by their enigmatic front man went on and played, looked, and felt like the gig of their lives.

Revisiting a back catalogue of big hits, high tides and oh yes, fond memories, the Eraserheads, our very own Fab Four, perhaps the most celebrated and arguably most influential musicians of their generation, performed an abbreviated show that will likely to be more remembered for what actually played out than for what might have been.

For those of us who were old enough to remember, the Eraserheads were gangling musicians who hardly can play at the start of their careers. The only upside for them back in the day was that their knack for unforgettable pop hooks. In my book, this band has always been more about soul than technique. But last night, in a rare and amazing marriage of form and substance, the Eraserheads played with inspired virtuosity that prompted Ces Rodriguez, my editor at the long-defunct Jingle Chord book magazine, to exclaim, “Where is this coming from?"

It certainly does not hurt that their confidence, instincts and overall musical chops have been fully honed over the years of not just playing together but also by their subsequent association with a lot of other talented musicians after The Split. “Alapaap," which opened the show, was riveting. “With A Smile" was simply mesmerizing. An updated “Toyang," with Ely now singing, “They tried to tell us we’re too old," got the crowd in a state of euphoric frenzy. The supposedly second-tier hits like “Ligaya," “Kailan" and “Shake Yer Head" sounded first-rate. Even the relatively obscure “Light Years" from the less heralded Fruitcake CD had a majestic feel to it.

Never mind if there was uncomfortable silence in between songs. Never mind if the lack of onstage banter between the guys led to a teasing chant of “Group Hug!" from the full house throng. They played their hearts out and that’s all that mattered. The E-heads played like a well-oiled, cohesive unit that it’s hard to believe that they haven’t played these songs together for years. I guess some things are just like riding a bike.

Raimund Marasigan was visibly elated and banged his drum kit with his usual gusto, Marcus Adoro’s guitar solos was more than spot-on and Buddy Zabala was well, Buddy Zabala, providing the remarkably tight rhythm section with his steady bass backbeat.

Ely Buendia? Looking like an Ivy League schoolboy with a sweatshirt over a white shirt and tie, he once again displayed the trademark nonchalance and matter-of-factly, strictly business demeanor that many of us were never ever comfortable with. But not even the seemingly disinterested look on his face which he tried to cover up with those oversized aviator shades can conceal the obvious—he was glad to be an Eraserhead again even if for only one more night, and it showed. Given his personal loss, what he did was a gallant stand of incredible proportions when an easier decision was to simply live and regroup to fight (or in this case, perform) for another day. Yes, he wanted to do this, too.

Too bad his body can only stay in sync with his resolve for so long. We all know what happened next. There’s no point wondering what might have been if Buendia still had the energy to stick around long enough in time for the band’s Big Guns, “Ang Huling El Bimbo," “Magasin," “Torpedo," “Overdrive", “Julie Tearjerky" (my own personal favorite) and yes, “Pare Ko," to bring the house down again and again. The answer to that is either we’ll never know or we’ll only find out if and when the Eraserheads, all four of them, decide or rather, agree to do this again. - GMANews.TV

Salamat Eraserheads

I.
I'm sure by now the news it out that they had to cut the show short because of Ely Buendia's health. I'm also sure many of the fans who cam to the show went home very disappointed. A friend who was an usher on the show said the band prepared 30 songs for that show. I'm sure i was and still am disappointed.

II.
I was never really an Eraserheads fan. But yeah i like their songs and bought their albums when i have extra cash. This was actually the first time i saw them live with the original members. But it was a good if not a great show. Too bad they had to cut it short. Disappointed? yes. Happy? Definitely. Alapaap never sounded so good. Just eh intro gave me goosebumps.

III.
To Ely Buendia, Marcus Adoro, Buddy Zabala and Raymund Marasigan, Maraming salamat. Thank you so much for a very nostalgic show. God Bless you and Get Well Soon Ely.

Sick as sick can be

I. Alright... im not really sick. My fucking gums are swollen. I think i overstressed a tooth thae needs to be extracted asap. My fever has subsided and im just hella bored. I missed work, something i dont really like doing anymore. Yeah, you probably didnt expect to hear that from me huh?

II. Being bored, i started thinking about what im gonna do with my life... not. LOL Actually what happened was, i was browsing through my car clubs forums and i came across a thread about rakistas... you know rockers. haha. Which got me searching for old school (90's) rock videos on youtube. I came across some wolfgang vids, im sure jimmy would love them.

III. Im also trying to budget. Budget money i dont have yet. Well im expecting money to come soon. And im dividing them in my mind. Some will go to the car, some to scuba diving, some to photography and so on. I still need to talk to alex about his plans on getting my cam fixed. The cam was so excited it started diving even before i got in to diving myself and was therefore rendered useless. She was barely 3 months old when she "drowned". Imagine that! lol. I'm still paying citibank every month for a camera that's lying useless in my closet. But enough about that.

IV. Listening to wolfgang again got wondering... why can't most bands today write songs totally unrelated to love? hehe oh well. It's a bitch trying to budget money you dan't have yet. I bet my car really wants new steel braided brake lines and underchassis repairs. Sheesh im writing total nonsense. I better go back to surfing.

Maricaban

I.
Was finally able to go out of town again last weekend. Went to maricaban with che, gail gene and the voyager adventure club. It was a cheap ass package with food and intro dive, only catch is you have to bring your own accomodations. hehe

II.
I was finally able to go scuba diving. I must admit, having snorkeled in Sepoc Island, the corals in maricanban wasn't half as amazing plus there were snack wrappers and even YES! a girdle on the sea floor. But all in all, it was still an amazing experience. The intro dive was provided by scubadoo dive shop (scubadoodiveshop.multiply.com). These guys are great and they offer great packages at amazing rates. It's so amazing we are considering training with them to get our PADI license soon.

III.
As usual, socials were spent with the voyager group and the rest of their other guests just drinking the night away. It's always fun hanging out with them and listening to their mountaineering stories. So to Dhang, Al, Lem and Chris Salamat at sa uulitin. Salamat din kanila dabo/davu/davo (kingina di ko alam spelling ng pangalan mo) Mamu Rex, Ever, Shey at sa iba for another amazing weekend. Sa uulitin!

Note: Pics available at the photos section. May underwater pics thanks to che's underwater cam. Unfortunately my d40 is out of commission pero that's another story. hehe

Excitement = Zilch

I.
Well as mentioned in my previous post, i finally had Eunice's engine swapped. I was supposed to pick her up this morning. I woke up early to pick up the car and have the aircon reconnected and the radiator overhauled. When i first started the engine i noticed that it was so loud. Only then did i realize that the pipes from the headers was not connected to the rest of the exhaust system. It was a job for another shop, a fact i totally knoew but slipped my mind. And it means that i'm already over my initial budget and i need a few thousand pesos more (including modifications and cleaning need for the aircon and the radiator).

II.
What i really don't understand is why people just can't be happy for me and for what i've accomplished. Instead of being glad that i've accomplished something ive always wanted for years now, some people around me prefer to nag me about what i was not able to do because i had to fund this project. All i hear is that im now officially broke, i was not able buy this, i was not able to buy that, i can't go with some friends on an out of town trip, how i fucked everything up because i went over my budget. These are the very same people who i expect to be as happy and excited as me.

III.
So there, i went from being literally shaking with excitement to being outright depressed in a span of a few days. So depressed i just want to sulk and never leave my room again.

IV.
But still, i would like to thank auto tech for doing an excellent job. grupo toyota for being a bottomless well of information and inspiration. And to all those lifves i affected because i fucked up, sorry.

Excitement = Money

I.
After almost a year of planning, saving and scamming, Eunice was finally off to auto tech for her much needed engine swap. Well it wasn't really needed but her old engine just didn't give me the confidence i needed to drive around. After a slew of engine trouble and stalling twice, i really dont feel confident about her engine. A stalled engine may mean missing a day at work which means i may lose money, hehe.

II.

So, after a long discussion with the secretary of finance (gf), weighing in the pros and cons, and because im sure i will love the exhaust note, i went ahead and replaced the engine rather than have it fixed.

Here she is on her way to auto tech:
To be combined with this:
III.
To all those who supported, salamat. To those who did not?: "They have sown the wind, Now they shall reap the whirlwind." hehehe joke.

Finally!

I.
What can i say? After all the shit, God has finally given me a break. After years of hard work and well... years of sleeping at work, i finally achieved something for myself. This is a good year. Man, i can't stop smiling.

II.
I have finally scrounged up enough money for my car's engine swap. The car's engine has been very unreliable and i was never comfortable driving it. It felt like a break down waiting to happen everytime I'm on the road. So the decision was made. The engine had to go. I was too tired of going to the mechanic to have it fixed all the time only to die down again. I just need to work out the details but the engine id really going. 20 valves of pure horse power, teehee.

III.
I was informed last night that i was chosen to one of the Incident Coordinators for our new account. A promotion i have been waiting for a long time now. And i want to thank all those who supported me. Ryan, for being a wonderful, supportive and understanding boss and friend. Trent, for being my constant yosi buddy, co-oic, co-scammer and best bud. Derrick for the info just before the interview. Che without whom none of these would be possible. No engine swap nor promotion would have been possible if not for my baby... i love you. My team... you guys are amazing and if there's one thing i regret about all this, it's leaving the comfort of your presence. And God, who has always been good to me.

Walang Kapaguran (an easter special)

Three photos that sum up my easter. LOL. See more at the photos section.
http://kerosenenightmares.multiply.com/photos

Luneta

HA! i took my new Nikon D40 to Luneta this morning. It was fun though tiring. Spent most of the time in the Chinese Garden. There isn't much to see there really, but i just wanted to play with the camera. Thanks to Trent for going with me since my car is... well... out of commission for the next few days. Here are some of the shots.

The Bulova Clock

a random flower

And some random leaves
Trent, making do with what he has... LOL
Trent in all his gritty-ness (PP'ed)
Chinese!
Sparta?
Spartan Trent Cleaning up Sparta
Hotel 300
Lomo Ken (taken by trent)
Lomo Rizal

Stainless Dreams...
Luneta Hotel

Hehe i love my D40. Best thing i bought this year!

Back online

After a long hiatus, i'm back blogging. As if people actually read what i write. LOL.

Well anyhoo, i stopped writing because i can't really think of anything to write about. I was so busy with work and did not really have time to do anything else (except play WoW hehe). I got so burned out of going to work, i slumped back into depression for a few days. Too many changes going on at work. Too many oppostunities missed. Shit.

BUT, i'm actually quite giddy right now. Look at what i got myself this afternoon:

Yup, i got myself a Nikon D40. Been dreaming of it for a few months now. It's really a bang for the buck camera. Costs as low as a nice point and shoot digicam but with almost all the bells and whistles. And here's a couple of quick shots i took just to test the camera.

gwapo the beagle


chaos