Sunrise at Annapolis

Mag-Ingat na Di Masali Sa...

KULTO NG MGA KALBO!!!

Model Student: Solving Anywhere?

Look at that, for someone very studious, even a desk drawer can become a writing/computing surface just to be able to answer one's assignment!

Inspired by Manny vs. Oscar

Blast From the Past

Friday Oct. 12, 2007 (no classes) ATC

Urban Dead: Locked Out

One of the things I hate when playing as a human is when I use a strongly barricaded building as a means to get out and hunt some zombies, and when I try to use that building to get back in, it's been barricaded to heavy.

I then either have to attack the barricades or look for other ways to get in, or, if I don't have enough action points, just wait until I'm killed and go to a revive point.

Go For What You Believe You Deserve

This is a classic romantic film, where, in typical Hollywood fashion, there is only one male and one female lead, and the whole two hours is just waiting for them to realize they're meant for each other.

There's also the typical plot twist that she has a boyfriend since the start of the movie. How, in heaven's name, are the two main stars going to end up with each other?

This movie has a unique solution to the "third wheel" problem though, which is usually dispensed with in romantic comedies by some last act surprise where the boyfriend turns out to be an asshole and deserves to be left behind.

The writer made it worse by making the boyfriend (Bill Pullman) really likable, and even had asthma and had to be mothered - something shallow-minded moviegoers would think would make it easier for Meg Ryan to let go.

In the end it's Bill Pullman's decision, telling Meg Ryan he doesn't want to be someone that a woman would just "settle for".

And that's my message for today: do not just take with open arms the first person who shows an interest in you, especially if they happen to have a lot of bad habits. You owe it to yourself to expect more.

Urban Dead: That's One Way to Get Rid of an Infection

All for One and One for All?

If a chain is only as good as its weakest link, is a chain of stores (or schools for that matter) only as good as its worst branch (or campus)?

It's That Way with Penguins

Above is the birthday gift I got from Joel & Ryan. Below is a box made up of renticular (false 3d) images that I bought in Taiwan - again of penguins!

And the other day I just watched Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa where the penguins were prominent again, as was in the first movie.

What is it with these guys?

Only Minimally Enchanting?

This is a scale model of Enchanted Kingdom presented at the Laguna Investment and Business Expo in SM Sta. Rosa last week, where exhibitors and participants were treated to free entrance to the park in the afternoon of Nov. 8. Sir Chris & I didn't go.

I thought that it would include new rides being planned, but it doesn't. Oh well, I guess we'll just have to wait and visit again.

New Toy of the Week: Inexpensive Science

Ten experiments at around 7 pesos each! Hope to use this in the next Open Lab or Science & Math Week.

One of the advantages of being a lab rat is that you still get to play with cool stuff - and call it work!

Now If Only I Could Get School Credit For This...

An 80's Cartoon Quiz Score: 100% (15 out of 15)

Revenge of the Scary Clueless Blonde Movie

Anna Faris in The House Bunny doesn't stray much from the doe-eyed expression that shot her into fame in the Scary Movie series.

The plot about an unpopular sorority rising to greatness is borrowed from Revenge of the Nerds.

Glamorizing a female with no fashion sense is straight out of Clueless.

And the final monologue is in the same style as Reese Witherspoon had in the Legally Blonde films.

Overall does the merging of these concepts work? Except for the physical Cinderella transformations of the sorority members, which was also too quick (as was their change into vacuous vamps), it doesn't. The funny stuff was really too few and far between.

Effective IS Campaigns

New Movie at Metropolis Alabang

I wonder if the film in Cinema 4 is any good...

Halloween Day In School

Lunch out with Ms. Karen and Mr. Roy



Someone embracing their inner second childhood, with a Grudge wanna be at the back.
Beware the Hooded Slasher! Including victim/sidekick.The real horror: Assembly Langauge exam!

Unnecessary Escalation

This movie illustrates perfectly how an offense subjectively magnified in the eyes of the victim and seeking what is believed to be compensatory redress can lead to a chain of destructive "one-up-man-ship".

Paraphrasing William Hurt's character in the movie: "everything decent is held together by an unwritten covenant."

Unless we're willing to see the other person's side and work towards an agreeable conclusion, it will end up like those old time Ubusan ng Lahi (clan extermination) stories the previous generation of local moviegoers were barraged with.

Marketing Strategy

Got tired of waiting for my travel companions to upload their pictures of the salesladies in Taiwan selling betel nuts.

Not surprisingly, there are others available on the web, just using the keywords "betel nut girl".

I don't think the Church would allow the same kind of tactic to be used here, again, yet another major difference between us and our neighbor across the South China Sea.

Two Yellow Guardians In My Clothes Rack

What's curious is that they're both gifts.

Superstition Is Off The Ground

There is no seat block 13 on the plane...

TV in Taiwan

One of the perks of being in another country was that I didn't have to wait as long as home to be able to watch my favorite shows.

There was Heroes, Simpsons, Smallville, The Office, Entourage, 30 Rock, Private Practice, Amazing Race Asia and, shown above, Grey's Anatomy.

I particularly marvelled at the very good writing of the season premiere of the hospital drama, showing that the Writers Guild of America really is indispensable and that their demands after their dissatisfaction were justified.

I also like the acting of the guest stars, in particular Bernadette Peters and this guy who lived with a constant headache for seven years, and after the source of the pain was finally found, he breaks down and is able to mourn for his wife who died the year before.

Another Outdoor Science Plaything

Besides the frisbees, boomerangs, kites and rubber band airplanes that I've been buying since April of this year, this is the latest toy we can use to take advantage of the campus' wide open areas to teach aerodynamics and propulsion.

Another Part of My Medium Range Plans...

... and, of course, bringing the knowledge, technology and connections back to the homeland.

At the National Space Organization

One step closer to one of my dream careers...

Our Invaluable Tour Guide

Thank you very very very much to Wendy for touring us around Taipei last Sunday!

Roy & Leland & Hainz & I will return there - promise!

I Didn't Think the Organizers Noticed...

So it was a real surprise to receive this!

How did they know what I like?




Those are stickers on the card, by the way. Such effort!






And one of my classmates even draws accurate portraits!

At the Food Expo

Beside the seafood and vegetable buffet in Hotel Kuva Chateau. It's like Oasis House of Prayer times 7!!!

My Classmates, Teachers & I

Group picture taken at the start of the two weeks.

Our Latest Products

Going back to last Friday's events for now: the OJT presentations, until I could upload everything to Flicker.

Congratulations Franz, Yvan, Tina, Fred, JC, Vinci, Jessie, Robin and Chito!

Teaser For Now

We're going to have a red brick building like this soon...

Where I Was For 30 Hours the Past 2 Days

csi.journalspace.com has the first part of the details up today, dotmeans.multiply.com will have the pictures.

Where I Was For 30 Hours the Past 2 Days

csi.journalspace.com has the details, dotmeans.multiply.com will have the photos as soon as I upload them.

Identifyin' the Rockin'

Just an update on the weekend's shaker: according to the US government site, there were actually 4 quakes that day, and, unlike the Singapore site, which pinpointed it as being somewhere in Quezon.

Curiously it list TWO quakes at the start. I guess they determine this by the peaks of the intensity. Then there was another one three hours later, which I didn't feel.

Did You Just Feel That?

Click on the picture for details. Or go to this site. This is one the important life-saving facts about the net, information at your fingertips as it happens.

Urban Dead: All Risen Up And Nowhere to Go

When I played yesterday, I was lucky to have gotten to a safehouse that was strongly barricaded with my last action point. When I logged on this morning, someone had PK'ed me, AND for some twisted reason, left me in the building, which was now HEAVILY barricaded.

So I had to claw my way out of the building to get to a revive point.

The story doesn't end there though: while destroying the barricades from the inside another human comes along and starts attacking me.

Great.

But I don't waste AP trying to gesture to him. At least after a while he realizes I'm not attacking him, so he leaves me alone, although if he had killed me first, I would have appreciated getting dumped out of the building.

When I ran out of AP, the building was lightly barricaded. Hope I'm out when I next log on.

Sizzling Shield

Maybe we could suggest this to Blue Corner...

Urban Dead: Initial Creativity

I love some of the user names these players come up with. 'Sall.

Great Villain Design

The recognizability factor of Voldemort's features in the Harry Potter movies is so great that even when transplanted to someone like above, it's immediately obvious what they're implying.

And it's funny too. Picture from here, btw.

"It's The Thought That Counts"

If i give this shirt to someone, will they think know I'm mocking them or will they believe I'm agreeing with them?