a record of thoughts

The South Trip (Set 2)

140 Photos

The South Trip (Set 1)

87 Photos

INTRODUCTION

Before December begins, I should have used all my vacation days from work. It was the last two weeks of November. Usually, I spend my vacation in the overseas, but this year, I opted for a domestic trip with Frances.

I did not plan the trip ahead of time like I usually do things. Planning a trip most of the time does not work for me because things happen in between. I’ve been irking to go south this time, especially to Texas. It has been in the back of my head. Only financial burden and fear was pinning me down. That’s another thing why I don’t plan my trips; I get over the fear. So during the weekend when I picked up Frances from the airport (she came from Las Vegas, but originally from Vancouver, BC) I was thinking about the trip while driving. From there, I decided to do it. Face the music later. (more…)

I had to wait a week before writing about the latest addition in my network — the ASUS Eee Box. If I may, I would say that the Eee Box is ASUS’ answer to Apple’s Mini PC; only smaller. The unit weighs 3lbs and is 1-inch thick (8.8x7x1) only. It comes with two mounts — one is for desktop mount and the other is a wall mount or like what ASUS advertises, the unit is mounted behind an LCD monitor to get the effect of “no box PC”. The box comes with wired keyboard and mouse. Of course if you chose the wireless route, you can do so because the machine already comes with wireless adapter (and antenna for range maximization). Knowing me, this featureis of course disabled. The machine is also very quiet and does not take up so much power consumption. The Box is also DVI ready so if your monitor has DVI, that would be great. For an average user, it won’t be a difficult computing because the Box is pre-installed with Windows XP Home Edition.

The Box!!!

Why did I have to purchase this gadget? For one, I wanted to test it and it’s cheap enough to experiment with. I plan to install other *NIX flavored OS in it instead of Windows. I also needed a PC that can serve MySQL database and it shouldn’t take space in my workspace and won’t consume so much power. Eee Box is the perfect specimen. The Box has been running since I bought it an a few restarts were executed because of Windows’ unfailing releases of bug fixes (don’t they get tired of this why not release a less buggy software instead).

I only recommend the  Box to an average user. Average I mean a user who only does: web browsing, chat, email, music, photos, occasional videos, word processing. I don’t prefer this to a hardcore user who may wish to do audio-visual editing and multi-tasking applications although it’s hyper-threading. However, it’s enough for daily computing.

I’ve been roaming around the blogosphere for a few years now and I’m really at awe every time I see a photoblog. I wish I could capture what they have. I’m openly confessing that I have no talent in any form of art — may it be audio or visual. I take photos, but not worth bragging. Then I realized that I am mostly fond of taking candid pictures of people. Since getting a DSLR, I’m ecstatic because shutter is fast and I can take snapshots of movements in frames of close intervals. I have yet to really use the camera properly and timely. I’m set for a vacation in the coming months, so I should be able to take more photographs that I can share with my audience here.

Then, I enjoyed my job. Now I don’t.
Then, I was excited to sit on my desk. Now I wish the hour never comes.
Then, I was encouraged to do a good job. Now I’m not.
Then, I cared. Now I don’t.

The feelings are the same in my previous job. Is it because I’ve learned what I needed to learn? That’s fair to say. I also realized that growth is not possible in this situation, but I thought of that already before. I’d like to borrow Muymuy’s method and leave a password only I can decipher.

makahiya plant

Readiness and Disaster Management are the recent issues in the Philippines. PAGASA claims that there was a breakdown in the structural aspect of their readiness program during typhoon Frank. There is no such thing as readiness. Nature is uncontrolled that’s why most of us thrive to be unnatural. The only thing a forecast can do is minimize casualties; it’s not a prevention. I guess it’s a readiness to be killed for the dead. I’m a huge fan of the natural and I missed one good nature loving during the typhoon. I miss the days back home when we encounter annual typhoon visits. It’s exhilarating. Now most of you will definitely say that it’s insensitive of me to be thinking that way after many people lost their lives. Sorry to disappoint you, but that’s what we call “natural death”. Sooner or later you’ll die, so why not give your life to something that gave and is giving you life and not to some illness caused by the artificial or ambitions. I want to die with nature’s help or during my sleep. That way there’s nobody to blame for my death.

Disaster Management — I’ve nothing on this one. I don’t have the luxury to think about helping the victims. If it was me, I’d look at this as a rebirth and reset my life. I would disappear and live life anew. I’ve been waiting for something like this to happen to me; especially when I’m traveling by plane. I always wish my plane crashes in an inhabited island so that if I survived, I’d live in solitude. Did I just digress?

Winnipeg, Manitoba — It’s been a while since my last entry and here I am full of expectations for this one. I don’t like Canadians. I have been solid about that for years now. I don’t like them politically, culturally and throw in also economically. (more…)

Taken from “Harold & Kumar Escape From Guantanamo Bay”:

I fear that I will always be
A lonely number like root three.
A three is all that’s good and right,
Why must my three keep out of sight.

Beneath a vicious square root sign,
I wish instead I were a nine
For nine could thwart this evil trick,
With just some quick arithmetic.

I know I’ll never see the sun, as 1.7321
Such is my reality, a sad irrationality.
When hark! What is this I see,
Another square root of a three
Has quietly come waltzing by,
Together now we multiply
To form a number we prefer,
Rejoicing as an integer.

We break free from our mortal bonds
And with a wave of magic wands
Our square root signs become unglued
And love for me has been renewed.