My Meanderings

of routes, dogs & apps…

2010-08-04T13:34:00.000-07:00

after much procrastination… im going back to running… been wanting to get back to running… even bought a pair of merrel last december… but i didn’t have any real motivation to do so… there have a lot of running events i wish i could have joined… but it has always been too late join… ive signed up to run five kilometers at the “10.10.10. run for pasig river” event… i havent been running ever since i moved back to manila… which was roughly two years ago… i havent engaged in any physical activity since then either… and ive learned from my experience in mountaineering that preparation is everything… back in subic there were two oval tracks where i use to run… there are advantages when running on a oval track… but my problem with oval tracks is that i tend to lose track of the number of laps… and since there are no nearby oval track in fairview… i decided to plot a route from my house to lamesa ecopark... which when i measured via google earth… the total distance is just over five kilometers… which is exactly the distance that ill be running… i decided to do a diagnostic run last saturday… just to gauge how out of shape i was… i selected some songs for the “on-the-go” playlist in the ipod… it was supposed to be my driving music but i think it would be appropriate for running… i started jogging with the theme from the “a-team”… i was just jogging for about 5 minutes when an old injury came back to haunt me… my right knee which would sporadically ache when i was hiking or running reared its ugly head again… i slowed down a bit until the pain eased… the ipod helped ease the pain when “drops of jupiter” piped thru the earphones… i picked up my pace as the song reached the chorus… it was then that i came near the trees that surrounded the ecopark… one of the reason why i choose the ecopark as my destination… the fresh smell of the morning dew invigorated me… but then i encountered something that I didn’t account for… dogs… ive been running/limping/walking for about ten minute and have passed by some dogs… but most of them were docile and non-territorial… but the dog that I faced was different… it was barking at me and seemed to be defending its turf… i noticed how thick its neck muscles were… complemented by the rows of sharp teeth… it was five meters ahead and i was measuring its resolve… it started to kick back its hind legs (as if preparing to charge)… that was when i decided to back away slowly without taking my eyes off of it… i turned around started to head back to where I started until i came upon an alleyway… my spirit was low having been intimidated by dog… i followed the alley for two blocks to make sure ive pass thru the dogs territory… i came back to my route when the freddie mercury began to sing “princes of the universe”… it didn’t take long for me to get back to jogging again… i finally reached the ascent to ecopark… this was something that i forgot to factor in when i was plotting my route… but the soundtrack from the movie “ninja kids” motivated me to jog up that hill… at this point i was delirious from exhaustion… i was expecting white-clad ninjas jumping out from the trees… by the time I reach the entrance to ecopark i was spent… i walked the route back to my house… it was relatively easier since most of it was downhill… i started at around six & came back at seven thirty… i ate and immediately shut down afterwards… when I woke up my body was aching… it was my fault I wasn’t able to pace myself gradually… when I was running on an oval you can alternate laps with running & walking… on the route I have no gauge if ive walked enough or not… i browsed thru itunes for trainer apps… i came across an application that has training plans for different lengths of runs… i started its eight week training plan for five kilometers last monday… the app will set your pace by prompting you when to run and when to walk… for the first day it alternated between running for a minute and walking for two minutes… the whole training took about forty minutes… including warm ups and cool downs… and I was very much pleased with day one… i avoided the area where the territorial dog was… my encounter with the dog broke my momentum… and i did not strain my knee this time… since i didn’t went up to the ecopark this time… i didn’t want to add unnecessary complications… my goal is just build stamina to maintain a steady pace for 5 kilometers… maybe near the end of my program ill set the ecopark as the goal… but for now im quite happy with finding my way back to running… J

Robert Downey Jr as Batman...

2010-03-17T00:00:00.000-07:00

finally got to watch sherlock holmes by guy ritchie... and i liked it...

i can't help but compare to a batman elseworld story...

it has the dynamic duo... holmes and watson...
although their relationship is more of brother-in-arms...

their version of holmes can throw a mean punch...

i like the way he plans to take down his opponent...

but holmes is still the most brilliant mind in fiction...

irene adler as holmes nemesis & lover...
is clearly patterned after catwoman...
the end also hint of a sequel...
and i hope they make it soon... :)

blogging on facebook

2010-02-28T14:24:00.000-08:00

trying to link blogger to facebook... :)

ala lang... hehehe

2009-09-07T09:37:00.000-07:00

to be or not to be…
a question that has baffled humanity since the dawn of our sentience… where do we came from… what’s the purpose of our existence… why do we exist…as a matter fact… why do we bother asking those questions… the answer is simple… humanity has a overwhelming urge to put reason to anything… but so far… the answers we come up with tend to disagree more often than not… the disagreement comes from two school of thought… to the rationalist there are no other proof more undeniable than our very our existence… “cogito ergo sum” declares the empiricist who are not satisfied by this a posteriori argument… they demand a prior argument which is independent of experience… to the empiricist the truth should hold true with or without us observing it…

the tree that fell…
a tree falls in the middle of a forest… does it make a sound… the answer to this question depends whether you are a rationalist or an empiricist… to the rationalist it does not since no one was there to hear… the empiricist would say that every tree that falls makes a sound… so which was your answer… as for me… the tree made a sound whether or not the sound waves traveled far enough to reach an ear… sound waves are oscillations produced from any interaction of matter… the sound waves travels thru a medium and loses strength until finally it dissipates…

the anthropic principle…
it states that certain conditions/parameters must exist since the universe is what it is as we perceive it now… there must be dark matter or our milky way would have dispersed millions of years ago… there speed of inflation should be of this value… and the list goes on and on… this principle goes along the rationalist line of thought… to the empiricist this is quite narcissistic & provincial… the parable below best describes the empiricist point of view…

the parable of the fish philosophers…
deep in the ocean floor… at the depth more than 6000 meters… a group of fish were impressing each other with their insight & bioluminescence… one brilliant fish said that the water around them was homogeneous, symmetric, and just right pressure… just the right environment for them to survive & thrive… if the pressure were anything other than what they are right now… their bodies would explode or implode depending on which way the pressure deviated… then another fish supposed that the temperature is at it is or otherwise the they would be frozen or boiled… as the other added their own observations of their surroundings… finally one of them put all these observations together and called the “fishropic principle”… they floated around congratulating themselves intoxicated with their pride… not noticing a net closing in around themselves… it dragged them up to waters whose properties were totally alien… as the marine biologist hauled the net… he said to other scientist “we got a whole school of them”… “they must have been having a conference or something” added one of the scientist… there laughter was cut short as they notice bright lights appeared above… they were so enthralled that they didn’t notice that their boat was being lifted towards the lights…

and it goes on…
and as we dig deeper into the mystery of the our origin… shall we finally realize our reason for being… are we just deluded fish swimming around a very small part of the universe… or are we a creation of being beyond our comprehension… or maybe we are just batteries living in a simulated reality… or is this just one part of our journey to enlightenment… no matter what it is one thing is for… humanity will never stop asking questions… and maybe that’s just reason for our existence…

the republic of lestheria

2008-06-18T11:26:00.000-07:00

come visit the republic of lestheria...
http://www.nationstates.net/lestheria

blogging on the go...

2008-06-07T05:22:00.000-07:00

Im writing this as im on my way home from olongapo...

bisita iglesia 2008

2008-03-25T09:51:00.001-07:00

march 21, 2008

---
9:20-st jude shrine
a perrenial favorite for the desperate, hopeless and board examiners... hehehe...
we lit candles for own secret petition...

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9:45-san beda chapel
originally not include in our original iterinary...
but it was on our way to san sebastian...
it has one of the most beautiful interiors...
i could stare at the ceiling for hours...

---
10:10-san sebastian church
the only metal church in asia...
and it was imported from europe...
it has the most beautiful stained glass windows...

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10:35-quiapo church
there were so many black nazarene devotees...
so decided not to go inside...

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10:50-santa cruz parish
after the going thru the crowd around church... we rested a bit here...
might look old on the outside has very modern interiors...

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11:15-binondo church
church of the first filipino saint... san lorenzo ruiz...
who is actually a filipino-chinese catholic...

---
11:30-manila cathedral
a beautiful blend of the old and the new...
ideal for weddings...

---
12:00-san agustine church
one of the oldest church in the philippines...
also a world heritage site...

IRON KINGDOM SLANG

2007-10-17T06:36:00.000-07:00

A sampling of some common Iron Kingdom slang:

Bang Out of Order phrs. Totally unacceptable
Blag, Blagged v. to steal. “The dimwit blagged from a bleeding’ churchie, ‘e did!”
Bloke n. A man. “What’s that dodgy bloke up to?”
Bloody adj./adv. An intensifier. “That bloody idiot needs a good thumping.”
Boinker n. A male, often used in lieu of ‘fellow’. “I dunno. Didn’t say his name, come to think of it. Just some boinker down at the pub.”
Boxy adj. To grow restless or go crazy. “We got ta move from this hidey-hole. Marag’s getting’ all boxy like.”
Bum n. Buttocks. “My bum’s a bit sore after riding all day.”
Bum-Fluff n. Adolescent facial hair; very insulting to a dwarf. “You call that bum-fluff a beard?”
Chuffed adj. Very pleased. “I was dead chuffed to awarded that knighthood.”
Churchie n. A man of the cloth: cleric. “That there bloke’s a Menite churchie, eh? Looks chummy.”
Clapped Out adj. Worn out amchinery. “That old steamjack’s a clapped out piece o’ scrap.”
Dead adv. Very. “I’m dead happy we escaped those farrow.”
Dodgy adj. Risky, suspicious. “I don’t trust the man. He seems really dodgy.”
Dreg n. Derog. 1. A desicable, worthless person. “Don’t waste your time with that filthy Marag, old girl. He’s not but a dreg with amind for your jubbies!” 2. Least desirable portion; refuse. “I’ll be humped! Those dodgy blokes left nothing of that roast boar for us but the dregs!”
Fob, Fob Off v., phrs. To deceive or to put off or appease through deceit or evasiveness. “That little strump pulled a fast one and fobbed Marag of but good! Heh-heh.”
Get Stuffed! v. Get lost! “Leave me alone, and get stuffed!”
Git n. Derog. An contemptible person. “That’s nasty thing to do, you complete and utter git!”
Gubbins n. Paraphernalia, miscellaneous stuff. “That steamjack engineer had a lot of gubbins in his toolbox.”
Halfhead n. Derog. Foolish person. “You go out carousin’ wit’ those halfheads again and you’re likely ta get kilt.”
Halfjob n. adj. Poorly made or unfinished mechanika. “You’da wet yer kecks if ye’d seen the halfjob come crawling outta that tomb! I fink ol’ Pendrake called it some ‘iron lich’ or some sort.”
Hole n. A distusting place. “Don’t go to Marag’s place, it’s a bit of a hole.”
Jackhead n. Steamjack worker. “Momma always said one jackhead’s as filthy as the other ‘un.”
Knackered adj. Tired, exhausted, ruined. “Sorry, I can’t go on, I’m bloody knackered.”
Lippy adj. Impertinent, mouthy. “Right, that’s it, you lippy arse! Eat this!”
Lug-Hole n. The ear. “Bend yer lug-holes this way, and listen.”
Manky adj. Disgusting, dirty. “Ugh! Don’t touch that copse, it’s manky!”
Mechastuff n. Mechanika. “Oy, but that bridge is run by mechastuff, right? So’s you don’t have the right pass code, you’re going bloody nowhere.”
Nip n. To go quickly. “Look, just got to nip off for a sec’. I’ll be back soon.”
Not Give A Toss v. phrs. To not care at all. “ Sorry, but I don’t give a toss what your problem is.”
Nut v. To headbutt. “I’ll nut ya one if ya look at me like that again!”
Pips n. Currency. “Marag’s willin’ to pay a load o’ pips fer this job, eh?”
Poxy adj. Rubbishy, of poor quality. “Of all the poxy luck! I had to end up in a cave-in with you!”
Pub n. Inn or tavern. Abb, for Public House. “Right, now to spend all those gold pieces! Off to the pub we go!”
Rummy adj. Odd; peculiar. “What a rummy little burgh thisis!”
Snog v. n. To kiss lustfully. “Fancy a snog, big boy?”
Sod n. Derog. A despicable person. “You are the most annoying sod I’ve ever met!” 2. A pitiable person. “I just saw your wife go off with that troll, you poor sod.”
Sod-all n. adj. Nothing. “Trust Marag to do sod-all when is help is needed.”
Steamo n. Anyone that works with steam mechanika. “terrific! That scenario knows his mechastuff back’ard and for’ard, eh? Le’t’s move!”
Stroppy adj. Bad tempered. “Don’t get stroppy with me, ya bum fluff-faced dwarf!”
Ta exclam. Thank you. “Ta for the help, me old mucker.”
Tosser n. Idiot. “Don’t be a tosser, Marag. You’ve got no chance with Alexia.”
Trog n. An ugly or coarse individual. Abbrv. Og troglodyte. “Your husband’s a real trog.”
Wank n. 1. Rubbish, nonsense. “This new suit of armor is a pile of wank!”
Wanker n. Derog. A contemptible person. “Get lost, wanker!”
Wazzock n. Derog. Cretin. “I can’t believe you did that, you wazzock!”

WIP: in color... sort of...

2007-08-14T08:28:00.000-07:00

im quite happy on how it turned out...
but im still figuring out a lot of it...

WIP: the trinity gang

2007-07-14T05:25:00.000-07:00

here is something wth a bit of perspective...
its there but i cheated at a lot of the angles...
i havent finalized the clothing just yet...
ive forgotten what trinity fashion is like...
so i got inspiration from battlestar galactica...

more of lucas...

2007-07-03T08:03:00.000-07:00

here is a more or less complete sketch of lucas...

lucas... revealed...

2007-07-02T06:52:00.000-07:00

lo and behold... lucas!!!
the gangrel justicar!!!

its one of my first sketches with my new toy...
a wacom graphire 4...

my mental disorder

2007-06-02T18:30:00.000-07:00

What mental disorder do you have? Your Result: ADD (Attention Deficit Disorder) You have a very hard time focusing, and you find it difficult to stay on task without your mind wandering. You probably zone in and out of conversations and tend to miss out on directions because you cannot focus
Manic Depressive
GAD (Generalized Anxiety Disorder)
OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder)
Paranoia
What mental disorder do you have?

what be me nerd type...

2007-06-02T18:16:00.001-07:00

What Be Your Nerd Type? Your Result: Science/Math Nerd (Absolute Insane Laughter as you pour toxic chemicals into a foaming tub of death!) Well, maybe you aren't this extreme, but you're in league with the crazy scientists/mathmeticians of today. Very few people have the talent of math and science is something takes a lot of brains as well. Thank whosever God you worship, or don't worship, so thank no deity whatsoever in your case, for you people! Most of us would have died off without your help.
Social Nerd
Gamer/Computer Nerd
Anime Nerd
Literature Nerd
Drama Nerd
Musician
Artistic Nerd
What Be Your Nerd Type? Quizzes for MySpace

mount pulag... finally revealed...

2006-11-04T18:01:00.000-08:00

mount pulag one of the highest peaks in the philippines...
it is made up of 3 distinct ecologies...
near base is made up of pine forest...
which very typical in the benquet area...
next is the mossy forest...
which draws enough water from clouds...
to supply water the surrounding provinces...
but the most unique feature of mount pulag is the grassland...
its so high up that only grass and dwarf bamboo grow there...
it is said to be holy ground by the natives...

ive climbed mount pulag twice before...
the first time i climb it was through ambangeg...
but there was a typhoon...
so i didnt really got to see the beauty of the grassland...

the next year i revisited pulag...
this time from akiki...
the most difficult trail to pulag...
the weather was fine...
until we reached the grassland...
that was when fog settled and the wind blew...
again i left pulag without ever seeing it majesty...

it was no surprise then that during my third climb to pulag...
that there is a typhoon coming...
again i was resign to the fact that...
i wont be seeing the rolling hills of the pulag grassland...
and by the morning of the 4th day... our last day...
the clouds remained to obscure the surrounding...

we were already eating breakfast...
and making plans for a 4th a climb...
when someone noticed that the sun was penetrating thru the clouds...
and all of the sudden the clouds lifted...
the beauty of pulag was finally revealed...

the once gloomy camp site became alive with jubilation...
everybody was running around posing at the camera...
after 3 days of being soaking rain... and freezing wind...
the old gods had finally revealed their home...
and for that i am thankful...

Celtic Cross (October 26, 2006)

2006-10-26T10:15:00.000-07:00

i did a tarot reading of my current situation... and here is the spread...

the first card was the tower... a cards signifying sudden change or downfall...
it says that i am experiencing cahnges in my life... what could they be... hmm...

the next card opposes the first one... which is the fool... signifying foolishness...
being foolish might not prevent the changes from occuring...

the next card is 2 of cups which is signifies attraction...
i am now being attracted to someone... who could it be...

the page of wands... signifies an invitation to be come more passionate...

the high priestess in my recent past indicate inactivity... or no progress...

the 6 of pentacle in my future hints that i may or may not get it...

the lovers is my self image... which is a man loging to be loved...

the knight of wands is my outer image... an adventurer...

the 5 of pentacles signifies my fear of rejection...

the outcome, which was supposed to be one card turned out to be two cards...
the first card is the 8 ot swords... which says that there wont be any change...
the other outcome is the ace of wands... which indicates a new beginning...

so overall... i should stop in my foolishness and be for passionate...
to finally get myself out of this runt that ive been stuck in...

Im in the mood for... Vanilla!!!

2006-10-23T20:07:00.000-07:00

i was surfing for a site where i can download the song "Day-O". i didnt get to find one but i stumbled upon this version at YouTube. it by an idol group from japan called Vanilla Mood.

i enjoyed it so much i went to watch some omre of their videos. here are a few of the one that i liked.

needless to say that i am once again smitten by those lovely PYTs from the land of the rising sun. my heart already has a place for mariko, the one playing the cello.

KAWAII!!!!

2006-09-21T15:02:00.000-07:00

been surfing thru blogspot recently...
and i came i across some very interesting blogs...

http://kawaiibabes.blogspot.com/
http://www.a-bikini-life.blogspot.com/

im at a lost for words to describe these site... ;-)

Lost But Not Found

2006-06-11T06:28:00.002-07:00

its funny how predictable a person is when confronted with a crisis... according to pyschiatist we follow the pattern:

denial – depression – desperation – anger – acceptance

i just went thru that pattern this afternoon...

i just came back from climbing tarak ridge in mariveles... i rode a bus from mariveles to manila... on the way to manila my companions gf sent message... she was asking what time were we going back to olonagapo... i replied that i wasnt going back to olongapo... but her bf is probably on his way to olongapo... i slept most the time during the trip... got off the bus at sm city north edsa... and went straight to the fx taxi terminal... when i got there... there was already an fx with waiting for one passenger... i immediately went in… and as i reach down my pockets it was then i realized something... my phone was not in my pocket...

(denial)
my first reaction was to search thru my pockets... i was wearing cargo pants... so more pocket means... i might have forgotten which pocket i put my phone into... but it wasn’t in any of my pockets... i checked my backpack... it wasn’t there either...

(depression)
and then it finally struck me... IVE LOST MY PHONE... i began to blame myself for again being to careless... why didn’t i checked my seat when i left my seat at the bus... why did i put it back inside my backpack where i usually keep it...

(desperation)
when i got home i immediately dialed my number... and i was answered by a recorded message... “the number you dialed is either unattended or out of coverage area” i dialed again... and i got the same answer... i got the yellow pages... and looked for the number of bus company... i was hoping that some good samaritan might have turned it over to the conductor...

(anger)
but sister kept on insisting that i call smart first to deactivate my sim... i could concentrate on looking for the number of the bus company... i sort of lost my temper... and shut her out... and continued to dial the bus company...

(acceptance)
when i dialed the bus terminal the line was busy... and then I redialed and it was still busy... and then realize how hopeless it was for me retrieve my phone... I finally dialed smart and deactivated my account... after I finished my call to smart I dialed the bus company... I gave them a description of the phone and my contact number... if ever they find my phone... but right now im not holding my breath...

but i guess some good will eventually come out of this... i hope...

Five Factor Personality Test

2006-04-13T04:57:00.000-07:00

Your Five Factor Personality Profile

Extroversion:

You have low extroversion.
You are quiet and reserved in most social situations.
A low key, laid back lifestyle is important to you.
You tend to bond slowly, over time, with one or two people.

Conscientiousness:

You have low conscientiousness.
Impulsive and off the wall, you don't take life too seriously.
Unfortunately, you sometimes end up regretting your snap decisions.
Overall, you tend to lack focus, and it's difficult for you to get important things done.

Agreeableness:

You have high agreeableness.
You are easy to get along with, and you value harmony highly.
Helpful and generous, you are willing to compromise with almost anyone.
You give people the benefit of the doubt and don't mind giving someone a second chance.

Neuroticism:

You have medium neuroticism.
You're generally cool and collected, but sometimes you do panic.
Little worries or problems can consume you, draining your energy.
Your life is pretty smooth, but there's a few emotional bumps you'd like to get rid of.

Openness to experience:

Your openness to new experiences is high.
In life, you tend to be an early adopter of all new things and ideas.
You'll try almost anything interesting, and you're constantly pushing your own limits.
A great connoisseir of art and beauty, you can find the positive side of almost anything.

The Five Factor Personality Test

My Weather Forecast

2006-04-13T04:48:00.000-07:00

You Are Rain

You can be warm and sexy. Or cold and unwelcoming.
Either way, you slowly bring out the beauty around you.

You are best known for: your touch

Your dominant state: changing

What Type of Weather Are You?

Confessions of a Momusu Fan

2006-04-13T01:20:00.000-07:00

boku wa lesther… momusu dai fan desu…

there is no denying that these japanese pop group has a hold on me… i kinda lost track of them for a while… but when i recently stumbled upon one of their pv (promotional video)… it rekindled the morning musume (which roughly means child/daugther) fan in me… their membership has grown… and i just found out the my favorite musume (none other than mari yaguchi) quit last year…

this song introduces each of the members… their song are always lively… and it was their songs that kinda alleviated my melancholy when i was in japan for one year…

in this video each of the member showing off their charm… the word theyre saying is “suki” (read their lips)... which means "i like you" (in japanese "i" & "you" are already implied)...

this video is the live version of the previous video… you might notice that theres almost 40 girls running around the stage… morning musume is part of hello project… which is made up of different girl bands and solo performers under the same talent management…
the groups are shuffled once in a while for variety…

here is another video of a single featuring the whole hello project talents…

these are segments of utaban (a long running talk show in japan) featuring members of hello project…

in this segment the host was making fun of mari-chan, my daisuki (literary translated as “most liked”, beloved or favorite) momusu…

here is a solo video of mari… wherein she in unusually mellowed down…

here is a game where they were subject to psychological torture… hehehe…

and finally a video that kinda describes the morning musume phenomena…

morning musume will always be a guilty little pleasure of mine… hehehe…

“cho cho cho… ii kanji…”

post script:
the original meandering series was mainly my ramblings about morning musume... hehehe...

More Bloggin... More Meanderin...

2005-10-21T12:24:00.000-07:00

hmm... here i am again... with another blog page... hehehe...