A Certain Point of View

Drei on the Net

2009-02-24T18:35:00.000+08:00

We sent these photos to Huggaluggs way back in May. Drei was only 3 months old then. I only checked the site again today.

http://www.huggalugs.com.au/pages/gallery/happy-huggalugs-kids13.php

http://www.huggalugs.com.au/pages/gallery/happy-huggalugs-kids14.php

Addicted!

2008-11-30T12:24:00.000+08:00

I've taken at least 700 photos since Friday! And I'm way late with my updating my online albums. I've uploaded one set so far (the Legos). I'll be uploading more later when I get home.

so...

2008-06-29T19:19:00.012+08:00

it's been quite a while (again) since i've had a significant blog entry. for those of you who are wondering how i am, here's a quick update.

first of all, i got promoted. effective 24July08, i'll start work as a Personal Banking Officer. i'll still be based at the HSBC branch at Enterprise though. after 6 years in the Bank, i finally caught a break! Ü

daddyness has been pretty good. drei's been growing fast! he'll be 5 months old this Wednesday. in general, he's been a happy kid. and that makes us happy parents. he'll be cranky at times and will wake up during the odd hours of the morning for milk but that's the way babies are. so from what we've seen so far, he's normal hehehe.

a couple of days ago, i play a satellite at the Metro Card Club and won a seat to the Filipino Poker Tour 3. the seat was worth Php33K. i also won a seat to another Filipino Poker Tour tournament last April. that one was worth Php55K. both time, i opted to sell the seats. rest assured that IF i win a seat for the next FPT i'll be playing it.

that's all for now! til next time!

TJD 702

2008-06-29T19:01:00.003+08:00

for those who've known me long enough, you'll know that the subject is the plate number of my old car. here's a picture of it a couple of weeks ago. i saw it on the road while on the way home.

it's a 1992 Mitsubishi Lancer GLi i got from my grandfather after he passed away. it didn't have power steering, power windows or power locks. it overheated in traffic during summers. it got towed in ortigas a couple of times. and a damaged radio which a friend (i'm not telling who) can explain. this is the car in which i learned how to drive and let a few friends practice their driving skills in it as well.

from the looks of things, it's being taken good care of by it's new owner. it's still white and the bumpers have been repainted. i'm just happy it didn't end up as a taxi cab.

annoying billboard

2008-06-29T18:23:00.004+08:00

i take EDSA everyday going to work and pass by this billboard. quite honestly it annoys the living hell out of me. ok, fine! it's a Porsche. but to advertise it as "As LOW as Php 65,000/month".

Jesus Christ! Php65K is like 3 months worth of pay for some people. maybe even half a year for others.

i don't get why they even thought of putting up this monstrosity when there's only a small percentage of the population that can afford to drop 6.5 dimes a month for a car anyway?

thanks for taking time in reading this rant. feel free to chime in Ü

a couple thousand

2008-06-13T19:00:00.000+08:00

check out the serial numbers on these two crispy and very new P1000 bills i picked up Ü my boss also told me there's another one in the vault with the serial number in 000001 hahaha

drei at 3 months

2008-05-05T15:59:00.000+08:00

the pictures are at ethel's multiply site. click HERE.

my baby dog

2008-04-13T11:39:00.008+08:00

Sachi
(October 16, 2002 - April 13, 2008)

Sachi died this morning caused by something called a heartworm. It's a disease in dogs caused by parasites.

Everyone here at home feels sad.

Thanks for the 5 years baby dog!

Rest in peace.

We love you and we miss you already!

yet even more pictures of Drei

2008-03-28T16:16:00.000+08:00

Ethel posted two albums on her multiply page

click here to view album 1

click here to view album 2

more baby pictures and a small change

2008-02-11T13:06:00.000+08:00

ethel posted some more baby pictures at her multiply page.

here is the link.

by the way, we decided to change the spelling of the nickname to DREI. not much. just added the letter I.

3 days old and home

2008-02-04T15:31:00.000+08:00

For all the replies to my posts, the text greetings, the phone calls, and the ones who were able to visit in the hospital, THANK YOU!

It kinda sucks that I can't post my own reply directly from my phone. (Yes, still no PC - ergo, no pictures - but soon! Promise!) We're home now but not yet in QC though. We're currently at Ethel's parents' house in Makati. We'll be staying here at least a couple or so more weeks.

Dre's been a good boy so far. He's doing alright - been quiet and asleep most of the time and only been crying if he's hungry or if he poopied. Or is that normal for babies? Ü Beats me, I'm new to this stuff Ü

We've bonded quite a bit I think. I found a way to make him quiet or calm down if he's crying. I call it the Barky Dance. DON'T ASK! Ü It's batting 100% so far but Ethel's telling me not to overuse it this early.

I went to work today 'cause I plan to take my paternity leave (of 7 working days) next to or right near my core leave (9 days) which would give me a whopping 3 weeks off of work! If that's possible. I'll have to double check the schedules again. If not, I can always take it next week. Anyway, back to working today, I found myself lost in my thoughts multiple times during the day just thinking about Ethel and Dre. I'm on a high I guess. Excited about thir new phase we're experiencing now.

So that's how it's been so far from Fatherland! Ü Haha, feeling na ba? Ü

Anyways, I'm going to get a few hours of sleep before Dre wakes up again.

Later y'all!

James Edric Puruganan Ines

2008-02-03T10:20:00.000+08:00

This little bundle of joy - all 7lbs and 20.472ins of him - entered this world on 02Feb08 at 11:12 p.m. Ethel and I call him our Baby Dre (pronounced Drey) - not Baby James Ü

He will be going home tomorrow together with his Mama at 9 a.m. I'm so excited!

The only thing missing from this blog is pictures which I can't do from my phone. I'll get around to uploading pictures once I get hold of a PC.

Until then...

The waiting continues...

2008-02-02T19:01:00.000+08:00

I've been waiting outside the DR since 630 and Dre still hasn't come out yet.

At around 1030pm I was told he'd be out before 12mn. Still no word from inside though...

I've received a bunch of texts and calls (thanks by the way!) but still nothing new to share as of now.

Thanks to my poker "conditioning", I can wait and stay up all night if I have to Ü

The wait...

2008-02-02T14:24:00.000+08:00

I'm outside the DR now.

Waiting.

Some of our stuff is in the room now. (Actually just the baby bag and I have a shirt in the car). Ethel's mom is in the room too. Ü

I'm just here blogging again, waiting and listening to my favorite podcast. Deep down I'm praying that everything's gonna be fine. I hope that Ethel and Dre come out of the DR alright.

6cm and counting

2008-02-02T14:04:00.000+08:00

The doctor just told me that Ethel's at 6cm already and she'll be giving birth in a few hours!
Our Baby Dre's arrives tonight!

Is it time?

2008-02-02T12:59:00.000+08:00

I'm in Makati Med right now, blogging from my phone.
Ethel's been complaining about her back being sore ever since we woke up. She also says her tummy's been painful every five minutes and it lasts about 45 or so seconds.
She's in the delivery room and I'm waiting outside. I hope this is it. Time will tell.

kinopya lang kay third

2008-01-25T17:35:00.000+08:00

1.Ano ang mas madalas mo pindutin: Delete or Backspace?
ctrl+shift+left arrow

2.Raincoat, umbrella o sugod sa ulan?
TAKBO!!!!

3.sometimes you hate cellphones because___?
wala akong dalang charger sa bulsa

4.Paano mo patayin ang ipis?
batuhin ng tsinelas kong may swelas ma singkapal ng goma ng gulong

5.Anong una mong pinupuntahan sa mall?
entrance

6.Nahulog kna ba sa Stairs?
hindi pa naman

7.Msg mo sa mahal mo?
hi hunny! *mwah!*

9.gano ka kafunny?
may mga natatawa naman

10.Have you fallen in love with your best friend?
kay third?

11.Naiilang ka ba pag ikaw lang ang kumakain at nakatingin lang ang mga kasama mo?
hindi, mas nag-e-enjoy nga ako e

12.Bakit may mga taong manhid?
gusto nila e!

13.pano ka magalit?
uy! bastos!

14.Anong Maganda/Masarap Gawin sa Outing w/Barkada?
uminom hanbang nagtatampisaw ang mga paa sa dagat

15.How was your 2007 Summer?
sweaty

16.How long was your longest telebabad?
6-7 hours maybe

17.Last place uv been to?
greenbelt 3, cinema 4

18.They say you are:
a lot of things (good and bad)

19.How old are you?
nasa kalendaryo pa naman

i bought jeans!

2007-11-28T16:43:00.000+08:00

yeah, you read that right - i bought new denim jeans! so what's the big deal right?

well first of all, it's the first pair of jeans i bought IN THE PHILIPPINES for myself in the last 6 maybe 7 years. it's not that i haven't been trying to look. it's that i have difficulty finding jeans that would fit my probably massive looking thighs. i mean, i don't see the point in buying "loose fit" jeans that still hug my legs so tight i'd look like a member of an 80s glam rock band.

last saturday, ethel and i were in glorietta and decided to check out the newly opened Gap store. i decided to take my chances since the current jeans i own are Gap which my relatives from the US sent me years ago. lo and behold, the first jeans i pick fit me just right and leave my legs with enough breathing room too!

ok, they're not cheap. Php4450 to be exact. but i'd rather think of it as Php635 a year since my last pair of pants hehehe

Signature Campaign

2007-11-26T16:25:00.000+08:00

i don't usually do forwards but i'm willing to pass on a message that i feel is worth the effort.

-------------------------------
Let us help stop Global Warming now and make sure that the world we live in stays alive!

Visit http://www.warmingsign.org to sign up and get facts on Global Warming.

Help us spread the word by forwarding this message to your contacts and friends.

two views of my butt crack

2007-11-24T13:28:00.000+08:00

no, not that butt hehehe... my Viattorre cue's butt... i dropped it last week and i asked my friend to bring it to the shop for repairs... this cue was ethel's gift and the crack really hurts like hell to look at... it hit the ringwork and chipped off some of the finish... ouch!

from someone who can't sleep

2007-11-17T02:14:00.001+08:00

i don't think i can find enough words to describe the mix of emotions i have right now... why? well, simply put, it's because of the picture i posted in my previous entry... i mean, that's my unborn son right there!

when ethel sent me the picture earlier today, right then and there i made it the wallpaper on my phone. during lunch, i just had to show it to everyone in the office hehehe. i was so happy, i just had to share my happiness. i guess that's also the reason why i kept looking at my phone every 20 or so minutes.

i'm still quite amazed actually... in a few months time (february) i'm gonna be a dad. and i firmly believe i'm ready to give him a good life. i can't wait!

our little boy's "first" picture

2007-11-17T01:48:00.000+08:00

well, not exactly... it's an ultrasound image but this is the first profile shot we have of him. and i believe he's got my nose too Ü we have yet to find a suitable name for him though...

daddy can't wait to hold his little baby boy and play with him!

The Bear is FULL!

2007-11-11T19:39:00.000+08:00

after a couple or so years of collecting Php10.00 coins, i decided to get a Giant Bear Bank from Humor Post sometime last year.

here's how he looks like today:
ethel and i spent sometime today taking out all the coins and packing them in plastics bags of 100 pieces each. we packed 15 and a half bags totaling to Php15,500 worth =)

wow! i never though i'd save up 15K worth in coins. so where do i go from here? i guess i start over and get back to filling up the bear again hehehe

How Much of the Philippines Have I Visited?

2007-09-06T18:38:00.000+08:00

I'm a C

My Lakbayan grade is C!

How much of the Philippines have you visited? Find out at Lakbayan!

Created by Eugene Villar.

Which Super Villain am I?

2007-07-29T19:54:00.000+08:00

something I copied from Third's blog...

Your results:
You are The Joker

The Joker		73%
Lex Luthor		65%
Mr. Freeze		65%
Riddler		65%
Venom		62%
Juggernaut		62%
Apocalypse		60%
Magneto		60%
Dr. Doom		57%
Kingpin		54%
Dark Phoenix		48%
Green Goblin		38%
Catwoman		37%
Mystique		34%
Two-Face		30%
Poison Ivy		27%

The Clown Prince of Crime. You are a brilliant mastermind but are criminally insane. You love to joke around while accomplishing the task at hand.

Click here to take the Supervillain Personality Quiz

something for the wrestling fan

2007-07-08T14:51:00.000+08:00

Not in the script: Too many pro wrestlers dying young

By PAUL NEWBERRY, AP National Writer
June 30, 2007

ATLANTA (AP) -- Everything is planned. The high-flying moves. The outlandish story lines. The crackpot characters.

One thing isn't in the script: the staggering number of pro wrestlers who die young.

Chris Benoit was the latest, taking his own life at age 40 after killing his wife and son in a grisly case that might be the blackest eye yet for the pseudo-sport already ridiculed as nothing more than comic books come to life, a cult-like outlet for testosterone-ragin' young males to cheer on their freakishly bulked-up heroes.

But the tenacious, grim-faced grappler known as the "Canadian Crippler" was hardly alone in heading to an early grave.

The very same weekend Benoit killed his family, the body of old tag-team partner Biff Wellington (real name: Shayne Bower) was found in his bed, dead at 42. A couple of weeks ago, former women's champion "Sensational" Sherri Martel passed away at her mother's home in Alabama. She was 49.

And on it goes.

Mike Awesome (Michael Lee Alfonso in real life) was found hanged in his Florida home in February, the apparent victim of a suicide at 42. "Bam Bam" Bigelow was 45 when a lethal cocktail of cocaine and benzodiazepine, an anti-anxiety drug, stopped his already ailing heart in January.

And on it goes, dozens and dozens of wrestlers meeting a similar fate over the past two decades. Some died with drugs flowing through their veins. Others tried to clean up but belatedly paid the price for their long-term abuse of steroids, painkillers, alcohol, cocaine and other illicit substances.

How many more must pass through the morgue before everyone stands up and shouts: Enough's enough?

"From my 17 years in the business, I know probably 40 to 45 wrestlers who dropped dead before they were 50," said Lance Evers, a semiretired wrestler who goes by "Lance Storm" when he's in the ring. "It's an astronomical number."

Then, he added in a voice tinged with anger and sadness, "I'm sick and tired of it."

Over the years, there are been numerous proposals to put wrestling under some sort of oversight, be it at the state or federal level. Those ideas usually have fallen on deaf ears, largely because the powers-that-be, be it the old-time regional promoters or WWE owner Vince McMahon, the guy who largely controls the sport today, don't want the government telling them how to run their business.

Jim Wilson, who parlayed pro football into a ring career, says he was blackballed when he began pushing for a wrestler's union. Since then, he has written a book about his experiences and kept up the push to rein in those who govern the sport.

Although Wilson's battle often has been a lonely one, he says Benoit's death might reinvigorate the cause.

A union could be a useful tool for cleaning up the sport. It might lead to a pension plan, improved benefits, more stringent health and safety guidelines and a revamped pay structure that would allow wrestlers to spend more time at home without risking a pay cut.

Now, most top wrestlers get a guaranteed salary, but the bulk of their income is based on how often they compete. That leads some to feel they must get in the ring while injured, often with the aid of painkillers and other numbing chemicals.

And much like rock stars, plenty of wrestlers have fallen victim to excessive partying, alcohol and drug dependency, and marital problems during grueling stints on the road.

"My longest run was 79 days in a row without a day off," said Joe Laurinaitis, the wrestler known as Road Warrior Animal and father of Ohio State football star James Laurinaitis. "It's not as bad now. They've got good guys running the WWE. Still, we need to take a look at it when things like this (the Benoit murder-suicide) are happening. Guys are still overworked."

That's why Wilson's calling for Congress to hold hearings on the wrestling industry, much like it investigated doping in professional sports and just this past week heard from ex-NFL players who believe they're being shortchanged on their pensions.

"In those other sports, they aren't dropping like flies like they are in the wrestling business," Wilson said. "Now is the time to push for legislation nationally."

He's already spoken with U.S. Sen. Johnny Isakson (R-Ga.), who instructed his staff to begin gathering information on the issue to determine if a hearing before the Health Committee might be warranted.

Isakson said his main concern is steroid abuse.

"I'm not going to start speculating on federal regulation of wrestling," he said. "The issue is anabolic steroids, which are a significant problem and are known to cause significant difficulties. It's a health issue that's appropriate for us to discuss, regardless of the profession."

Steroids and other muscle-building drugs long have been an accepted part of the wrestling culture, allowing the biggest names to pump up to ungodly proportions that wouldn't be possible through natural means.

Granted, nobody comes right out and tells a wrestler he or she should take steroids. But all one has to do is attend a match in person or watch one on TV to realize some of these physiques just aren't plausible without help from a syringe.

"Somebody says you need to put 25 pounds on your upper body," said Larry DeGaris, who teaches sports marketing at the University of Indianapolis and moonlights on the independent wrestling circuit as "The Professor" Larry Brisco. "Well, if you have an athletic background and have been around sports for a while, you know there's only one way to do that. Nobody needs to tell you. It's just a tacit understanding."

Steroids were found in Benoit's home, though investigators haven't determined if they played any role in the brutal killings of his wife, Nancy, and their 7-year-old son.

World Wrestling Entertainment, which employed Benoit and holds a virtual monopoly grip on the industry, was quick to point out that this tragedy -- apparently carried out over an entire weekend -- doesn't come with the classic signs of 'roid rage, the violent, unpredictable outbursts that can be caused by someone who abuses steroids.

A top anti-doping expert agreed but said it's too early in the investigation to draw any firm conclusions.

"I can paint any number of scenarios that explain this without invoking 'roid rage," said Dr. Gary Wadler, a member of the World Anti-Doping Agency. "'Roid rage tends to be impulse control. This event happened over two or three days. It has the earmarks of some calculation."

The WWE also was quick to announce Benoit had passed his last drug test in April, part of the organization's "Wellness Program" that was put in place after the death of star Eddie Guerrero two years ago.

But Wadler doesn't sound all that impressed with the WWE's testing procedures. He's especially troubled that the WWE refuses to discuss the program in any detail.

Both Evers and wrestling journalist Bryan Alvarez, who've seen guidelines for the program, found two major loopholes:

-- A wrestler can pass the doping test with a testosterone to epitestosterone ratio of 10:1, more than double the WADA standard. Under WADA rules, athletes are in violation starting at 4:1; the average ratio is 1:1.

-- A wrestler who tests positive can be excused if he produces a doctor's prescription and a medically justified reason for taking the drug in question.

There's no justifying that happened at the Benoits' suburban Atlanta home last weekend.

Alvarez, who covers the sport extensively for the Web site www.wrestlingobserver.com, has some inkling of the demons that might have overtaken the wrestler.

He said Benoit never got over the 2005 death of Guerrero, a former WWE champion and four-time tag-team titleholder who was 38 when he died of a heart attack, perhaps caused by the alcohol and drug abuses that friends thought he had beaten.

"Chris' closest friend in the world was Eddie Guerrero," Alvarez said. "He could cry to him. He could tell him everything. After Eddie died, I talked to Chris. He was broken man."

Last year, another of Benoit's wrestling buddies, 263-pound Mike Durham (known in the business as Johnny Grunge), died at 39 from complications cause by sleep apnea, a condition that often affects larger people such as wrestlers and football players.

"It was about this period of time that people started noticing weird behavior, paranoid behavior, which would indicate (Benoit) was using a lot of drugs," Alvarez said. "He was alone. He was on the road a lot, having to perform at a high level, having to look a certain way. I think the drug use escalated, and his whole world basically fell apart."

Laurinaitis knows what a lethal potion it all can be.

His friend since childhood and longtime tag partner, Road Warrior Hawk (Michael Hegstrand), died from a heart attack in 2003. Just 46, Hegstrand had battled alcohol and drugs, in addition to using steroids, Laurinaitis said.

"I used to watch him sometimes and just shake my head. I would think, 'Oh my God, what in the world is he doing? Why is he doing that?"' Laurinaitis said. "I saw quite a few guys go down that path."

Now, they're all gone.

Benoit. Guerrero. Hawk.

Martel. Bigelow. Awesome.

Not to mention Curt "Mr. Perfect" Hennig, Big Boss Man, Hercules, Crash Holly, Davey Boy Smith, Miss Elizabeth, Terry Gordy, "Gentleman" Chris Adams, Yokozuna, "Ravishing" Rick Rude, Owen Hart, Louie Spiccoli, Brian Pillman, Eddie Gilbert, Buzz Sawyer, "Quick Draw" Rick McGraw, Gino Hernandez and much of the Von Erich clan.

All dead before they were 50 -- and that's just a sampling of an ever-growing list.

It doesn't take someone who can distinguish between a full nelson and a sleeper hold to know that's far too many wrestlers dying far too young.

"It's gotten to the point that just about every show in the country is starting with a ten-bell salute," said DeGaris, the professor and wrestler, referring to the traditional farewell to a fallen competitor. "You kind of look at some of the old pictures, and you're the last man standing."

QUESTION?!

2007-06-23T12:40:00.000+08:00

can anybody tell me what this means? :)

Cold Decked!

2007-03-13T08:01:00.001+08:00

I played a 630 player tournament last night on Full Tilt. I survived up to the final 2 tables when this hand came up...

Blinds were at 1500/3000 with a 400 ante. It got folded around to me in the small blind. I decided to just call and take a flop. The guy in big blind checked his option. The flop comes A-A-5. I checked, looking to trap, the big blind check behind me as well. The turn card is a 3 - I have a full house. I checked again, the big blind bet 5000 and I move all in for my last 25000. He has A-5... Nice...

I busted out at 13th place. The winner of that tournament gets an entry into round 2 of this week's qualifiers for the World Series of Poker Main Event - a $10K buy-in tournament which crowns the Poker World Champion every year.

Oh well... There'll be more chances...

good weekend for poker

2007-03-12T08:07:00.001+08:00

- played two rounds last friday, cashed once

- played two rounds saturday, bubbled once, cashed once

- played one round sunday, cashed in that once too

3 out of 5! not a bad job if i say so myself!

i'm playing sharper and getting good reads on people and making good decisions. special thanks to "The Bear" and "Tiltboy"!

Working in a Call Center

2007-03-05T08:54:00.001+08:00

a friend posting this on the Friendster bulletin board. thought i'd share it here

---------------

1. We work in weird shifts...
Like prostitutes

2. They pay you to make the client happy...
Like a prostitute

3. The client pays a lot of money, but your employer keeps almost every penny...
Like a prostitute

4. You are rewarded for fulfilling the client's dreams...
Like a prostitute

5. Your friends fall apart and you end up hanging out with people in the same profession as you...
Like a prostitute

6. When you have to meet the client you always have to be perfectly groomed....
Like a prostitute

7. But when you go back home it seems like you are coming back from hell...
Like a prostitute

8. The client always wants to pay less but expects incredible things from you...
Like a prostitute

9. When people ask you about your job, you have difficulties to explain it...
Like a prostitute

10. Everyday when you wake up, you say:
I'M NOT GOING TO SPEND THE REST OF MY LIFE DOING THIS".....
Like a prostitute

REMARKS
The only difference is the prostitutes can take Christmas and New Year's Eve off and they actually DO make a lot of Money!!!

If you know someone in the Call Center industry please share this with them so they don't feel bad anymore.... Like a prostitute!

Modern Day Robin Hoods

2007-03-03T08:11:00.001+08:00

Saw this article on by Kristy Arnett on cardplayer.com. Just when you think the poker world is full of degenerate gamblers... Inspiring to say the least.

Many Poker Pros Donate a Portion of Winnings

There's More than One 'Robin Hood of Poker' Playing the Game

Poker is a game where success is measured by the amount of money in one’s bankroll and played in a world of extreme wealth contrasted against a world of poverty. All things considered, the generosity by many poker players demonstrates the humanity that can be served through the game, and it can be truly inspirational.

The poker player most famous for his charitable donations is Barry Greenstein, who is also known as “The Robin Hood of Poker.” Greenstein has accumulated nearly $5.5 million in tournament wins and donates 100 percent of it to charity. Children Incorporated, a charity that provides food, shelter, and clothing to children in 21 countries, is the primary recipient of his donations.

Greenstein, along with Victor Ramdin and Phil Ivey, have also contributed significantly to Guyana Watch, an organization that provides medical supplies and attention to the small South American country. Ramdin donated $100,000 of his winnings to Guyana’s first lady, Varnshie Jaddeo. She runs a nonprofit group that provides surgeries for children. Ivey’s contributions to charity closely resembles his presence at the poker table -- quiet and under the radar, but hugely significant.

Players Donate Wins

Many other poker pros dedicate portions of their tournament winnings. World Poker Tour’s Mike Sexton donated half of his $1 million win from the World Series of Poker Tournament of Champions to five different charities. He gave $100,000 to each of the following charities: the Buoniconti Fund, Children Incorporated, the World Warriors Project, the Special Olympics, and the Paralyzed Veterans of America.

Tony G, an accomplished pro from Australia, recently won the Betfair Asian Poker Tour and donated half of his first-place prize money to charities. He believes it is important for people to know that poker is not just about the money.

Andy Bloch donated $100,000 of his winnings from the Pro-Am Equalizer to charities working in Darfur. As a member of Team Full Tilt, he also donates 100 percent of his online winnings to multiple charities.

When Disaster Strikes

When the country is in need, many poker players take the initiative to lend a hand. After the devastation of Hurricane Katrina, Phil Gordon and Annie Duke auctioned private poker lessons to benefit those hurt by the effects of the hurricane. Duke’s brother, Howard Lederer, sponsored a tournament in Turkey for U.S. troops and donated many of his instructional DVD’s to the soldiers.

Remembering Their Roots

Not all poker players are born into the luxury-filled lives that they live in now. Many come from extremely modest beginnings. Men “The Master” Nguyen escaped from the communist regime of Vietnam by boat to the United States decades ago but has not forgotten where he came from. He visits his home country frequently to do charity work.

With the assistance of his friend Danny Dang, he built a Buddhist temple and housing for the monks. Nguyen also helped build two schools, one for kindergartners and separate one for third graders in his hometown of Phantiet.

Liz Lieu and John Phan, who are close friends and also of Vietnamese decent, came together in an effort to facilitate change in their birth countries. They visit Vietnam a few times a year for charity work and on their most recent trip together, bought 20 tons of rice to distribute to poor villages, children’s orphanages, elderly homes and temples. Both also support the Make a Wish Foundation and donate a percentage of their tournament wins to the Multiple Sclerosis Society.

Lieu says: “We have been doing what we can for charities for some time now and the kind of self-fulfillment we get from helping others is not seen by our eyes, it is felt within our hearts and souls.” The “Poker Diva” also donates all of the proceeds from her poster sales to charity.

Poker Community Unites

One other foundation included in Liz and John’s charities is the Baby Hannum organization, which has gained the support of many in the poker community. The foundation was formed after the death of a beloved World Poker Tour photographer Paul Hannum, who was engaged to Sarah Percy. She was seven-months pregnant with their child at the time of his passing. With the leadership of WPT Player of the Year Gavin Smith, a tournament was held the night before the WPT Legends of Poker main event in the name of Baby Hannum.

The $1,000 buy-in attracted 115 players. Jennifer Tilly won the first-place prize money but graciously turned it down to give it back to the charity. Smith came runner-up, receiving the $10,000 buy-in to the next day’s main event, where he promised to donate 50 percent of his winnings.

"I want this to be a starting point," Smith said. "We intend to hold the tournament annually, so that, as a poker community, we can provide a family for Paul's family."

The main event the next day showcased more compassion from poker players for the Baby Hannum organization. Scotty Nguyen, a father-to-be at the time, convinced the final table to donate a portion of their winnings. The winner, Joe Pelton, donated two times more than anyone else.

Other charity poker tournaments have been popping up all over the country. These range from celebrity red-carpet events to college tournaments with makeshift poker tables and canned food serving as a buy-in.

Poker Hand-in-hand with Hollywood

Notable charity poker tournaments have included the Trent Tucker’s Hoopology celebrity tournament, the Opportunity Village event and Carmen Electra’s Head to Hollywood tournament. These events brought the support of celebrities such as Michael Jordon and Shannon Elizabeth and poker pros including Marcel Luske, Patrik Antonius, Barry Shulman, and Gus Hansen.

So while poker success is oftentimes measured by the amount of profit they amass through playing the game, many measure a successful life using different standards, such as philanthropy. For the poker pros who give, poker is not just a game, nor just their profession; it is a way to give back and contribute to their own measure of success.

an outsider looking in... part 2

2007-02-23T13:23:00.001+08:00

here's part 2 of the article in my previous entry if you're interested...

as for me, having my usual day at work.... HELL! haven't smiled one bit since i got here at 6am. saving my smiles for 3pm... that's wht i get out of here!

later!

a foreigner's view of the philippines

2007-02-20T20:30:00.001+08:00

i saw this article on cardplayer.com.

an interesting read if you have time.

not much really... and s'more lyrics...

2007-02-15T20:11:00.000+08:00

haven't been up to too much lately.

mostly poker hahaha... i played in a tournament my friend hosted at his house last sunday and was the first to bust out. i played my A-A strong and got called to the river by a donkey who was lucky enough to suck out on me... but i'm over it... a bit... i'll save you from the bad beat story. ethel placed 4th and cashed in it so i don't feel so bad.

i played a sit & go that same night and was lucky enough to win it, making back 3/5 of my buy in to the tournament. so it's all good.

that was sunday, monday we played a ring game at another friend's house and i won "big" (big enough) in that one. didn't feel like playing my normal, tight aggressive game and went cuckoo. i won the first pot of the night on a bluff with a 7-2 offsuit and showed it. played a little tight my stack dwindled a little so went back to playing wacko and won 3 huge pots - all on REALLY SICK bluffs (trust me people, i don't bluff often) and showed all of them and always got paid off when i really had a hand.

haven't played since monday and i'm itching to play again.

heading over to tagaytay for the weekend because a friend's wedding on saturday. we're leaving tomorrow so we could get a little r&r (and maybe a poker game or two) as well.

and as promised, more insanity...

again, if you know what this is about, good job!

--------------

"Welcome Home (Sanitarium)"
Metallica
Master of Puppets, 1986

Welcome to a time stands still
No one leaves and no one will
Moon is full, never seems to change
Just labeled mentally deranged
Dream the same things every night
I see your freedom in my sight
No locked doors, no windows barred
No thing to make my brain seem scarred

Sleep my friend and you will see
That dream is my reality
They keep me locked up in this cage
Can’t see it’s why my brain says rage

Sanitarium, leave me be
Sanitarium, just leave me alone

Build my fear of what’s out there
And cannot breath the open air
Whisper things into my brain
Assuring me that I’m insane
They think our heads are in their hands
But violent use brings violent plans
Keep him tied, it makes him well
He’s getting better, can’t you tell ?

No more can keep us in
Listen, damn it, we will win
They see it right, they see it well
But they think this saves us from our hell

Sanitarium, leave me be
Sanitarium, just leave me alone
Sanitarium, just leave me alone

Fear of living on
Natives getting restless now
Mutiny in the air
Got some death to do
The mirror stares back hard
Kill, it’s such a friendly word
Seems the only way
For reaching out again

--------------

(bow!)

later!

more lyrics

2007-01-19T05:35:00.000+08:00

more lyrics with another insane message! :) of course it's not meant to be taken in a literal sense.

for those who know what i mean, good for you! hahaha

cheers y'all!

-----------------

"Trapped Under Ice"
Metallica
Ride the Lightning, 1984

I don't know how to live trough this hell
Woken up I'm still locked in this shell
Frozen soul frozen down to the core
Break the ice I can't take anymore

Freezing
Can't move at all
Screaming
Can't hear my call
I am dying to live
Cry out
I'm Trapped Under Ice

Crystallized as I lay here and rest
Eyes of glass stare directly at death
From deep sleep I have broken away
No one knows no one hears what I say

Freezing
Can't move at all
Screaming
Can't hear my call
I am dying to live
Cry out
I'm Trapped Under Ice

Scream, from my soul
Fate, mystified
Hell, forever more
Scream, from my soul
Fate, mystified
Hell, forever more

No release from my cryonic state
What is this? I've been stricken by fate
Wrapped up tight cannot move can't break free
Hand of doom has a tight grip on me

Freezing
Can't move at all
Screaming
Can't hear my call
I am dying to live
Cry out
I'm Trapped Under Ice

quality time or lack thereof

2007-01-18T05:41:00.000+08:00

i'm going home in a few minutes.

not too excited really.

i'm going to see ethel later at 5pm when i pick her up from work. i have to drive her to la salle for her class at 6pm. she'll be done by 9:15pm and i'll be bringing her to her parents' house in makati. and since work for me starts at 10pm means i have to leave for the office the latest 9:45pm.

if my calculations are correct, that's less than 2 hours that i'll be spending with my wife today.

pretty neat huh?

i hate this job! it just takes too much time away from the things you want/need to do and from the people you love.

from daniel's blog

2007-01-18T04:13:00.000+08:00

i was lurking around the 'net and found this entry on pro poker player Daniel Negreanu's blog.

it's a very interesting read that i'm sure a lot of us can relate to. sure knocked some sense into me. a bit long but very, very interesting.

hope you take time to read it. here's the link: "Without God I'm Useless"

cheers!

the best man for the job

2006-12-10T12:28:00.000+08:00

i'm still in the hotel. it's raining outside. there's a storm right not but it hasn't hit metro manila hard... yet. let's hope it veers away, ok?

i cut myself shaving. nothing new. spent a good number of minutes in the bathroom trying to stop the bleeding.

just finished the my photo op and i'm just waiting for the time to leave the hotel and head for the church.

--------------------

saw this post on third's blog just now. hope you take time to read it.

third,

it's ok.

knowing you, you've have gone through hell and high water, hellfire and brimstone and whatnot just to be here today. you tried but things just didn't work out. i understand. we appreciate the effort of still trying.

mitch is going to fill in for you. i guess he was the next best person to stand in for you but i know nothing beats the real thing.

i'll see you soon anyway, right? hope it was sooner but what can we do?

i love you, man!

counting down

2006-12-10T10:19:00.000+08:00

five hours to go!

i'm about to get ready after this entry.

wish me luck!

i'm getting married!

2006-12-10T01:59:00.000+08:00

the day of our wedding is finally here!

i'm still up. just finished writing ethel a letter for her to read later. i'm about to get my beauty (or is it beast) rest.

today seemed so far away back when i proposed to ethel. never thought it would come this fast.

we haven't seen each other for more than 24 hours. this is by far the longest time we've been apart barring any external factors beyond our control. and to think the only thing separating us right now is the wall of this hotel room and that we're actually just a few feet apart from each other.

i can't wait to see her later!

when things go wrong

2006-12-08T07:25:00.000+08:00

it's 7am and i can't sleep.

the wedding's in a couple of days and ALMOST everything is set. just have to print 50 copies of the misalette.

ethel lost her phone yesterday. she left it in a cab going to makati (or so we think). we had her sim card blocked and since the wedding is in 2 days, we had to get a phone for her to use. no big deal.

in the car, while driving her to their company Christmas party, i noticed my phone flashed an error message "sim registration failed". that's ok, it's happened before. so i turned the phone off and turned it on again and it worked normally again. after a few minutes, i noticed a different error message, "insert sim card". like the first error, off/on would do. the phone worked again. very good.

after dropping ethel off, i decided to hang around starbucks in intramuros. this is where all hell broke loose.

this was the pattern - send a text, "sim registration failed", off/on - send a text, "sim registration failed", off/on - send a text, "sim registration failed", off/on... you get the idea. that went around 20 or so times. then, after off/on for the nth time around, the phone went in offline mode. the stupid phone couldn't read the damn sim card anymore! great timing huh?

i had to rush back to the LBC party and wait out for ethel out in the rain (ok, i was out in the rain while in the car with the aircon turned on) because i know she'd go ballistic if she tried calling me and not be able to get through. but i did have to run to and from the car because i didn't have an umbrella with me so i got a bit soaked.

to cut it short, i'm getting a new phone later, too - because in the next couple of days, i'm sure we'll be needing it quite a bit.

don't know which one. been doing a comparison of my two choices. i still can't choose. feel free to chime in your opinion.

it's almost 8. gotta sleep now. have to leave by lunch.

sfeech depekt?

2006-12-05T08:36:00.000+08:00

i ordered a palabok platter, family size from red ribbon the other day.

here's what was written on the order slip....

the old songs...

2006-12-01T23:08:00.000+08:00

i was listening to my iPod on my way to work today and this song played. it's one of those songs i haven't heard in a while.

carries a nice message doesn't it? ;)

Know Your Enemy
Rage Against the Machine

Born with insight and a raised fist
A witness to the slit wrist
As we move into '92
Still in a room without a view
Ya got to know
Ya got to know
That when I say go, go, go
Amp up and amplify
Defy
I'm a brother with a furious mind
Action must be taken
We don't need the key
We'll break in

Something must be done
About vengence, a badge and a gun
'Cause I'll rip the mike, rip the stage, rip the system
I was born to rage against 'em

Fist in ya face, in the place
And I'll drop the style clearly
Know your enemy

Word is born
Fight the war, fuck the norm
Now I got no patience
So sick of complacence
With the D E F I A N C E
The mind of a revolutionary
So clear the lane
The finger to the land of chains
What? The land of the free?
Whever told you that is your enemy

Something must be done
About vengence, a badge, and a gun
'Cause I'll rip the mike, rip the stage, rip the system
I was born to rage agaisnt 'em
Now action must be taken
We don't need no key
We'll break in

I've got no patience now
So sick of complacence now
I've got no patience now
So sick of complacence now
Sick of sick of sick of sick of sick of you
Time has come to pay

Yes I know my enemies
They're the teachers who taught me to fight me
Compromise, conformity, assimilation, submission,
Ignorance, hypocrisy, brutality, the elite
All of which are American dreams

the 2007 starbucks planner

2006-11-29T14:55:00.000+08:00

this was as of 13 November 2006

and this one was taken on 28 November 2006

2 planners in november! hehehe just wanted to share...

the last two weeks

2006-11-27T04:27:00.000+08:00

two weeks to go until our wedding.

you can check out our wedsite HERE.

honestly, i really don't know how i feel about it. of course, i'm excited very much! how can i not be? am i scared? hell no! right now everything seems to be uncertain. how will the whole day progress? will it go smooth? will everything turn out the way we planned/pictured them to be? will something get botched up? will the hard work (ok, ethel's hard work) pay off?

don't get me wrong, i'm always very optimistic about things and always look on the bright side. it's just that on this particular day, all eyes are going to be on us (on her mostly, i'm sure). that's the only part i'm kind of uneasy about hahaha (as if i have a choice, right?)

but anyway, enough of this nonsense. i'm falling asleep. time to get back to work.

later!

Remember me?

2006-09-05T12:41:00.000+08:00

still no major updates... actually just too lazy or busy on other stuff to write anything here... but i've been meaning to for the longest time... honest :;)

anyway, i saw this on third's blog and i thought of posting here too...

WHAT KIND OF SHIRT ARE YOU WEARING? blue speedo polo shirt
WOULD YOU KISS ANYONE ON YOUR FRIEND'S LIST? but of course!
DO YOU HAVE "A THING" FOR ANYONE ON YOUR FRIENDS LIST? yes. i'm marrying her right in december
HOW MANY PEOPLE ON YOUR LIST DO YOU KNOW IN REAL LIFE? 99.99%
HOW MANY KIDS DO YOU WANT TO HAVE? 2
DO YOU HAVE A GOOD RELATIONSHIP WITH BOTH YOUR PARENTS? yes
WHAT NAME WOULD YOU WANT TO HAVE BESIDES THE ONE YOU HAVE? Johnny
WOULD YOU EVER MAKE OUT WITH SOMEONE OF THE SAME SEX? hell no
WHAT DID YOU DO FOR YOUR LAST B-DAY? went out for a buffet dinner
WHAT'S YOUR CURRENT RINGTONE ON YOUR PHONE? the TV theme from Alf
TIME DID YOU WAKE UP TODAY? 9.15am
WHAT WERE YOU DOING AT MIDNIGHT TWO NIGHTS AGO? busting out at a home tournament and watching ethel finish everyone off
DO YOU LIKE HAVING YOUR HAIR PULLED? hair where? i have lots of it in different places hehehe
NAME SOMETHING YOU CAN'T WAIT TO DO? see ethel today
TIME YOU SAW YOUR MOM? just now... she just stepped out of my room
WHAT IS ONE THING YOU WISH YOU COULD CHANGE ABOUT YOURSELF? less weight
IF YOU HAD 300,000 DOLLARS... WHAT 5 THINGS WOULD YOU DO WITH IT? give 100k to my parents, save 100k for ethel and me, put up a business and quit my job, remodel the house we're going to live in, and use 50k to play in the "big game" at the bellagio :)
HAVE YOU EVER TALKED TO TOM? WTF? who's tom?
WHAT COLOR UNDERWEAR ARE YOU WEARING? grey boxers
LAST THING YOU ATE? tuna turnover
WHATS YOUR FAVORITE MONTH? December
YOUR LEAST FAVORITE MONTH? April
WHAT'S THE LAST PIECE OF CLOTHING YOU BORROWED FROM ANYONE? i'm usually the one whose clothes get borrowed
WHO IS GETTING ON YOUR NERVES RIGHT NOW? i choose not to name names
MOST VISITED WEBPAGE? www.cardplayer.com
LAST PERSON YOU TEXT MESSAGED? ethel
FAVORITE KIND OF DRINK(S)? apple flavored C2's fine by me
YOU BEEN TO EUROPE? nope... hopefully soon
IF SOMEONE YOU HATED DIED, WHAT WOULD YOU DO? go on with my life knowing he'll have a hard time getting on with his
HAVE YOU KISSED SOMEONE IN THE PAST WEEK? yes
IF YOU COULD TELL YOUR LAST EX SOMETHING WHAT WOULD YOU SAY? hehehehe
HOW MANY PIERCINGS DO YOU HAVE? none
TATTOOS? none
IF YOU COULD GET PIERCED ANYWHERE WHERE WOULD YOU GET IT DONE? nose
WHAT ARE YOU MOST SCARED OF?
DO YOU LIKE BEING ON STAGE WITH A BUNCH OF PEOPLE WATCHING YOU? depends on what i'll be doing on stage
WHEN IS THE LAST TIME YOU WENT TO THE MALL? an hour ago

Animals Asia says goodbye to an old friend....

2006-02-18T09:22:00.000+08:00

got this e-mail from Animals Asia the other day... hope you take time to read on...

thanks!

----------------------------------

Goodbye Andrew

Dear Friends,

For those of you who have shared our special moments with the bears over the years, I'm so sorry to pass on the sad, sad news that we said goodbye to our number one ambassador, three-legged Andrew, (Anderloo as he is named in Chinese), yesterday afternoon.

Early yesterday morning, following a month of eating less and sleeping more, Andrew had a health check and ultrasound which revealed that something was horribly wrong. Our Vets, Kati and Phill, began abdominal surgery and found the most aggressive and ugly cancer I have ever seen in my life. The removed tumour, weighing 7.3kgs surpassed anything we have seen before and, because the liver was so terribly affected (with approximately 5% of its normal function remaining), Andrew's blood wasn't able to clot and he had been slowly bleeding to death.

Even on Wednesday, he ate more than he'd eaten the whole week before; those soft gentle lips pursing for another slice of tomato, a second tub of yogurt and a blueberry muffin, causing us to wonder for a second whether we were right to bring his surgery forward. So many variables are involved - and in the past we have felt surgery essential, only to find nothing medically wrong as the bears have entered a "normal" pattern of lethargic, inappetant behaviour associated with hibernation of the species in the wild.

Yet, it was the killer we know so well... liver cancer; possibly originating from a tumour factor of aggressive cells connected with the massive infection from damage caused on the farms - the demon that lurked silently in Andrew's body, waiting for the chance to strike.

No words can ever explain the grief everyone here is feeling - we cremated and buried our mighty Andrew at 6pm last evening, with local TV camera's and the San Francisco Chronicle recording another chapter in bear farming history - an outpouring of anger and sadness which is difficult to describe even now, but which united everyone here in the conviction and determination that Andrew will never die in vain.

I know too that this will be a horribly sad message for those of you who loved Andrew and enjoyed all the updates about his life over the past five and a half years. Andrew was so much more than our ambassador, our friend.... he was the bear who began it all; our noble, forgiving, gentle giant who will live in our hearts forever.

Someone wrote today : "You are not weaker without Andrew, you are stronger because of him." And we are.

R.I.P. Anderloo, we love you.

Jillx
Jill Robinson MBE
Founder & CEO
Animals Asia Foundation

for the bored

2006-01-26T14:02:00.000+08:00

if you're bored (and have poker chips lying around) check this out this site.

i've actually been bringing some chips to the office. i TRY to do some of the tricks on my desk while working. to my surprise, it actually helps me focus.

blast from the past

2006-01-12T12:48:00.000+08:00

i'm playing to this song on my computer. i'm sure it'll bring back a few good memories to some.

enjoy!

You Could Be Mine

hello again

2006-01-12T11:52:00.000+08:00

Hello, yeah, it's been a while.
Not much, how 'bout you?
I'm not sure why I called,
I guess I really just wanted to talk to you.
And I was thinking maybe later on,
We could get together for a while.
It's been such a long time,
And I really do miss your smile.

hahaha, ang baduy ko!

hey all!

it's been over a month. so what's been up with me lately? well, not much really.

here's a quick run down of the few things that's happened in my life since i last made a real entry:

the wedding date's been changed to 10 December 2006. just paid for the reception venue yesterday, it's going to be at Wack-Wack Country Club.
my computer's went through some changes and upgrades. changed my monitor, keyboard, mouse, and speakers. they're all black now. got a sound card (Creative SB Audigy 2 Value Series) and i'm now on 5.1 speakers :)
been playing poker a bit :) no limit hold 'em is the way to go at ferrule. i try to play there every so often. won and lost my fair share of money.
i didn't know torrents were cool. since learning what they were for i've downloaded a number of classic rock albums and a movie - rounders (yes, that poker movie).
been upgraded at work. well it isn't final yet. but barring and unforseen circumstances, i'll be getting a higher job grade and a pay increase of Php1000! (WOW! big increase huh?)
i actually maintained my weight throughout the holidays - didn't gain any, but didn'y lose any either. so i'm still at 180lbs.
becuase of the graveyard shift i took last november, my entire body clock's been changed drastically. i usually force my self to sleep around 3am-4am just because i know i have work and can't afford to oversleep.
i was also able to complete stickers for 3 starbucks planners :)

well, i think that's about it from this part of the world. i'll update you guys again later.

the saga is complete

2005-12-01T16:10:00.000+08:00

got the dvd of episode iii yesterday. now all i have to do is set aside a day to watch all 6 movies!

the church, the date, the time

2005-11-23T17:02:00.000+08:00

Nuestra Señora del Gracia
Guadalupe Viejo, Makati City

November 5, 2006, 3 o'clock in the afternoon

changes

2005-11-16T15:07:00.000+08:00

just felt like changing my blog's look.

comments and suggestions are most welcome.

an interview with God

2005-11-01T03:32:00.000+08:00

here's something which I think is worth reading:

An Interview with God

check it out.

the graveyard shift

2005-11-01T02:27:00.000+08:00

today is my third day on the graveyard shift. i've been idle for the past few minutes so i decided to blog. i'm still kinda shocked at the types of calls i receive at this time.

i got a call from someone born 1945 asking about her bonus points... at 2am! she must have been wide awake and extremely bored and decided to start thinking about her bonus points at this time of the day. i got another one asking about our current promos.

jeez man! these people should try to get some sleep and not think about credit cards at this hour!

the nice thing about being on graveyard shift is that you have no bosses around (there are only 3 of us in the office now), less calls and less stress (which would explain why i'm blogging during my shift hehehe)

i can't wait for my graveyard sked to end though - that'll be at 6am on the 4th. i'll be on vacation and will be coming back on the 19th (yes, nov. 19 is a saturday). but at least i get a full two weeks of rest and relaxation.

outta here!

this is sachi

2005-10-26T01:18:00.000+08:00

isn't she so pretty?

if i were to fall in love

2005-10-20T14:05:00.000+08:00

IF I WERE TO FALL IN LOVE
Author: Ed Walter

If I were to fall in love,
It would have to be with you.
Your eyes, your smile,
The way you laugh,
The things you say and do.
Take me to the places,
My heart never knew.
So, if I were to fall in love,
It would have to be with you.
If I were to give my heart,
It would have to be to you,
For you bring things into my life,
So beautiful and new.
Love, so soft and warm beside me,
That I know it’s true,
If I were to give my heart,
It would have to be to you.
I was looking for an answer.
I was looking for a way.
To keep the magic that you bring,
To each and every day.
To live our lives together,
As only lovers do.
It started with a feeling,
And every day it grew,
So, when I knew I was in love,
It had to be with you.

i love you, hon!

six to three

2005-10-19T06:51:00.000+08:00

it's still early in the morning and i'm in the office already.

i hate this shift! i wanna go back to sleep!

look at what i found... mp3s!!!

2005-10-17T08:05:00.000+08:00

someone from the office told me check out this blog:

Gifts and Curses

i'm still browsing it now. you won't find everything you're looking for but it has a good number of selections you might like.

enjoy!

fantasy nba

2005-10-08T08:32:00.000+08:00

we held our draft night for the office fantasy nba league last night. i got #2 in the lottery.

here are my picks per round for team Co. Jones 2005-06:

1 - kevin garnett - lbj was taken first. personally i think this guy's still #1
2 - emeka okafor - this guy and kg helped me take the rebound category last season
3 - michael redd - with the amount of money he got in the offseason, he's got a lot to prove. i'm sure he'll do ok
4 - luke ridnour - seattle's new starting point guard
5 - bonzi wells - they say this is his comeback year as he's a starter once again
6 - morris peterson - outside chris bosh and jalen rose, who else is toronto going to look to to score?
7 - antoine walker - i'm told this guy's bad luck. i think so too. this is more of a gamble
8 - nazr mohammed - san antonio's starting center... not bad for an 8th round pick
9 - rashad mccants - a rookie 2 with great offensice potential, but needs to work on his D. another gamble
10 - earl watson - i noticed late that i needed another point guard

i think i got a decent lineup from the draft but there are still some notable free agents available and a bunch of untested but promising rookies i'm looking at to replace my last 2 picks. still a lot of research and scouting to do and a long season ahead.

i probably sound pretty serious about competing in this fantasy league. well, that's 'cause first place wins a whopping php18k!

for any of you who know a thing or two about nba basketball or fantasy ball for that matter, feel free to leave me a comment or something.

quote for the day

2005-10-07T11:29:00.000+08:00

actually it's from yesterday. anyway, here it goes...

"yan ba yung (kia) picanto? ang cute 'no? parang pwede sipain!"

- anonymous

it's alive!... it's alive!

2005-10-06T23:40:00.000+08:00

i've just finished some upgrades on my pc. here's what i'm running now:

processor:
AMD Athlon XP 2400+

active cooler:
Thermaltake Volcano 9 Smart Fan

motherboard:
Epox 8RDA3I, nForce2 Ultra 400, 400MHz FSB

memory:
2x 512MB Kingston PC2700 (1GB RAM total)

graphics:
ATI Radeon 9250 256MB, 128-bit

case:
Lian-Li PC65 with transparent side panel

this isn't everything but these are the components that matter. it ain't the most powerful nor is it the fastest computer in the world but it serves me just fine.

i know that some of you don't really care about these specs but thanks reading 'em anyway :)

i'll post the pics later

all quiet over here

2005-10-05T22:12:00.000+08:00

i'm still at the office on a 2pm-11pm shift. the calls have quieted down and i've been idle for a good number of minutes. hope it stays this way til the end of my shift...

yeah right! i wish.

nothing worse than killing time doing nothing. i can't wait to get out of here and be with my fiancée :)

i made it!

2005-10-04T23:49:00.000+08:00

i made 120 calls today. avergaed 2:29 minutes per call. feels good to finally meet the standard.

in case you missed it

2005-09-29T00:12:00.000+08:00

here's a link to an interesting news bit i found on yahoo today.

good thing i haven't gotten one yet. oh well... let's wait and see.

century break

2005-09-27T01:02:00.000+08:00

in snooker, a "break" is a number of points scored by one player in one single visit to the table. a "century break" is when a player scores 100 or more points in a single "break".

i broke the 100 mark today - 116 calls in an 8 hour shift, averaging 2:32 minutes per call. yes, i still did not meet the prescribed quota of 120 calls per day but not bad for a newbie if i may say so myself. way better than last week i when was averaging around 70 calls per day.

parrot is the way! hehehe

wala lang. just wanted to share.

good night y'all!

pros & cons

2005-09-24T14:41:00.000+08:00

ok.. it's been a couple of weeks since i got moved to the authorizations section in the customer service department (aka the call center)... i'll admit that the first time i found out i was moving there, my mind was totally rejecting the idea... i even thought as far as resigning rather than get moved.

i've weighed the pros and cons, and here's what i've come up with so far...

pros:
- i'm still in hsbc
- the pay's the same
- i get upgraded (and a pay increase after 3 months and i get to save up for the wedding)
- most of my friends are in the call center (and half of autho is made up of my barkada)
- i'm ok with my new manager, assistant manager, and supervisor
- finally away from the boss i don't like
- i get 4 days off after going on graveyard shift
- no work pending at the end of the day
- pressure ends along with the call

cons:
- spending less time with ethel
- working weekends (and holidays!)
- shifting
- late hours
- taking calls and being parrot-like saying almost the same things all day

so far the pros outweigh the cons and i believe in my ability to find ways to still spend quality time with my hunny so i'll be ok for now.

isn't it a thing of beauty?

2005-09-21T01:16:00.000+08:00

i like!i really do!
sorry... i can't get over it...

i want one

2005-09-19T00:11:00.000+08:00

anyone nice enough to buy me one of these? i'd be forever grateful!

i'm back!

2005-09-15T22:54:00.000+08:00

it's been a while since i posted anything in here.

reason being either one or both of the following:
1) i'm too tired
2) i'm too lazy

hehehe, sorry 'bout that.

a lot has happened since i last blogged but here's the major highlight of them all...

ETHEL AND I ARE ENGAGED!

yes people, you read that one right! we're engaged!

i'd narrate everything from the beginning of the evening but she beat me too it.

anyway, here's the story of how it went. everything you'll read in there is exactly how events transpired minus all my feelings of anxiety althroughout last night.

here's a picture of the engagement ring by the way. i took it using the camera on my phone so the quality isn't that good.

i'll leave you with another star wars quote:

"you've taken your first step into a larger world"

- obi-wan kenobi, star wars episode iv

cheers y'all!

it happens

2005-08-30T12:44:00.000+08:00

i'm going to be transferred to a different department next week.

it's an upgrade for me but i feel demoted in my opinion.

i was not even asked for my opinion if i wanted it or not.

i only found out when it was a done deal already.

from the feedback i've received, everyone seems happy for me except... me.

this sucks BIG TIME!

i'll elaborate more later.

what the hell, right?

2005-08-24T00:50:00.000+08:00

gani asked me to check out his blog to see his latest entry. it's been over a week since i blogged anything so here it goes:

three names you go by:
1. chito
2. hunny
3. tsitonats

three screen names you have had:
1. kulokoy
2. tsitonats
3. - BaSiLiSk -

three physical things you like about yourself:
1. eyes
2. arms
3. hair (just the haircut actually)

three physical things you don't like about yourself:
1. love handles (i'm working on losing this one)
2. height (a couple inches taller won't hurt, right?)
3. hairline (ok guys, no wisecracks!)

three parts of your heritage:
1. sense of humor (ever talk to both my folks at the dinner table?)
2. body hair
3. hairline (i got #s 2 & 3 from my grandfather)

three things that scare you:
1. e-mails from my boss (which i get a lot of on a daily basis)
2. screwing up big time in anything i do
3. uncertainty of the future (wow! serious!)

three of your everyday essentials:
1. ethel!
2. cellphone
3. ethel!

three of your favorite musical artists:
1. m.y.m.p.
2. metallica
3. guns n' roses

three of your favorite songs:
1. same ground - kitchie nadal
2. spend my life - eric benet & tamia
3. paint it black - the rolling stones

three things you want in a relationship:
1. love
2. happiness
3. honesty

three lies and truths in no particular order:
lies:
1. i like by boss
2. i'm so excited to go to work tomorrow!
3. punks not dead!

truths:
1. many of the truths we cling to depend greatly on our own point of view
2. do or do not, there is not try
3. it's not wise to upset a wookiee

three physical things about the opposite sex that appeals to you:
1. eyes
2. smile
3. personality

three of your favorite hobbies:
1. pool (aka. billiards)
2. sitting for hours infront of my pc at home
3. bumming around

three things you want to do really badly now:
1. sleep
2. stay home
3. go on vacation

three careers you're considering/you've considered:
1. guidance counselor (gave this one some serious thought, too)
2. football coach
3. corporate trainer

three places you want to go on vacation:
1. boracay
2. paris (the city, not the person ok?)
3. florence

three kid's names you like:
1. fabrizio
2. giuseppe
3. philip (para "philip p. ines" get it?)

three things you want to do before you die:
1. get married and have kids
2. be my own boss
3. drive my own ferrari (wouldn't we all?)

three ways that you are stereotypically a boy:
1. sports channels
2. messy room
3. the "what's up one-arm man hug" (just had to put this!)

three ways that you are stereotypically a girl:
1. umm, nope... not me
2.
3.

three celeb crushes:
1. natalie portman
2. stacy keibler
3. gabrielle anwar (ever see that tango scene in "scent of a woman"?)

three people that i would like to see take this quiz:
1. ethel
2. third
3. itin

where's yours? :)

we are the champions!

2005-08-14T10:09:00.000+08:00

we had our annual billiards tournament yesterday and our team won! we dominated the women's division with 3 of our players reaching the semis and had 2 players in the finals of the men's division.
from our team's perspective, that's a good thing as we rack up majority of the points yesterday.

from an individual standpoint, it sucks... i played well enough to make it all the way to the finals undefeated only to lose it all on the final shot. you see, the score was 6-6 in a very tightly played final. 1 ball left and i was on the table, left with a shot i'd make all day and probably even in my sleep. problem is, when i shot the 9, i was expecting it to disappear into the upper left corner pocket and not to bobble at the pocket's jaws like it did. i lost 7-6 but our team still won so i'm happy just the same. that's 2 years in a row for us. oh well, i'll get 'em next year!

after all the dust settled, ethel and i went to greenhills to wind down after 8 grinding hours in the pool hall. she bought around 6 different shirts in the tiangge and i got a really, really good class A copy of last year's real madrid jersey. we had dinner in italianni's after and had a couple of servings of the complimentary foccacia bread, baked zitti (which was superb!), and a watermelon shake. dinner was good but it could have been better given the loss but it's ok hehehe.

hunny, thanks for staying there all day with me. i know it was hard for you especially during the later stages when most of our friends already left and you had less and less people to talk to. i really, really appreciate it. i love you!

at least you got to watch a few of my matches with richie hehehe :)

here's a picture of us over dinner with a glimpse of the greenhills savings branch:

have a nice day y'all!

it's friday!!!

2005-08-12T12:39:00.000+08:00

friday's finally here! thank God!

i can't put into words how beat up, tired, and drained i've been for the past few weeks. and i'm losing weight (which is always a good thing). too many investigations, reports, deadlines to finish, so little time. to think that i'm even staying extra hours after work just to get things done. i guess that comes with the territory. we aren't the best security and fraud team in the country for doing nothing, right? but, i gotta work to pay the bills.

the weather isn't really helping either. we've had bed weather since last week or so that the only thing you'll feel really up to doing is lie in bed cuddling a pillow.

at least i have the weekend to look forward to. i have a pool tournament tomorrow and i really haven't had much practice (mainly cause i'd rather go home and rest). i'm going to try squeeze in a couple of hours of playing later just to get in a good groove and just hope for the best when game time comes.

i'm stumped. my mind just went blank.

more later if anything comes to mind...

tales from the office

2005-08-03T23:44:00.000+08:00

tough day at work today.

the head office sent us an e-mail looking for certain stats from september '04 to april '05. my boss knew the answer as to why there were no stats so he was the one who replied on our team's behalf - the gay, err.. guy whom i took over the position from forgot to (actually, just plain didn't) mention anything to me last year about one of his old tasks which generated those stats.

it's standard procedure in our office to have at least a week wherein the old jobholder turns over the responsibilities to the next person. he "turned over" everything (or so it seemed) to me after a couple of weeks of teaching me nothing in a grand total of two hours! and that was over a span of three days, mind you.

WOW! how much can you really learn about a new job in two hours, given that it's not even two straight hours? i had to start from scratch and clean up all the mess that was left behind - the latest of which is this. my boss actually told me to just "swallow the bitter pill" and get over it... i have. and i am over it. a long time ago, too. i just get really pissed when things from the past come back to haunt us.

if you guys are wondering, yes, I AM BADMOUTHING HIM! i don't care, it's my blog anyway :) and gimme a break will you, i had a rough day :)

anyway...

on the lighter side of things, i talked my sister into donating to the China Bear Rescue on animalsasia.org. we saw one of the commercials on tv and i told her to watch it. i said for her to check out the website and just click around and read. about half an hour later, she IM'ed me asking how to donate. she gave them bear meals good for a week. and it REALLY felt good that she did.

it's almost 2am.

i'm going to bed now...

thoughts over lunch

2005-08-02T12:36:00.000+08:00

happy birthday mama!!!

i saw this in gani's blog. check it out if you're up for a little laughter. just hope you're on broadband 'cause it's loaded with images.

it's only tuesday and i'm wishing it was friday already. i'm feeling so burned out 'cause of work. good thing my boss is here already so i don't have to answer all those e-mails from the head office myself. now if i can only find a way not to do all those daily .xls files i have.

ethel's leaving for singapore on friday. i'm not too thrilled about that. yes, i know she's coming back (you are coming back, right hon?) and that we only won't see each other on saturday, but i'm still not comfortable with the idea. this year i don't think we've ever had a day where we didn't see each other. though we agreed that we would have "days off" from each other, i still found ways or excuses to see her. i guess i just got so used to having her around. but at least it's just for one day 'casue i'll be bringing her to the airport and picking her up when she arrives. i'll live. i think.

lunch break's over. i'm outta here...

overtime

2005-07-30T13:38:00.000+08:00

it's a saturday and i'm in the office doing overtime work.

i'm a bit tired actually. the past week's beat me up pretty good. i could be somewhere else if i chose to as i'm here voluntarily. i could be somewhere with my ethel. i could be at home getting some rest and finally getting to install the new hardware i bought for my pc last month. i could be at the ateneo-up game.

but no!

i'm at the 12th floor of the enterprise center on a saturday afternoon working.

don't get me wrong. i actually like working on saturdays. not that i'm a workaholic or anything. it's just that the atmosphere's more relaxed. no bosses for one thing so i'm less pressured and no "urgent, finish this, i need it now" stuff. PLUS the pay's good! hehehe i actually earned near my entire month's salary in the first 15 days of the month because of overtime. i actually earned more than my month's pay but then the witholding tax kicked in so i didn't count that. it feels good to see the amount on my payslip.

anyway, i'm going back to work now. just needed a break before i resumed.

that's it for now...

them days

2005-07-26T13:28:00.000+08:00

just got back from lunch... it's raining outside and we're just coming off of a 3-day weekend. i wish i just stayed home and slept in.

i don't really feel like going back to my workstation 'cause a lot of paperwork's waiting for me. but i have to.

this sucks!

more later...

by the bay

2005-07-24T23:23:00.000+08:00

just for kicks, ethel and i went to the reclamation area today. there's a place just beyond the church where people can go to which is still unpopulated. i recommend going there if you just wanna relax and feel the breeze.

g'bye mate!

2005-07-23T18:11:00.000+08:00

just got back from third's house. for those of you who don't know, he's my best friend. this is a guy i grew up with and we've been through a lot together. he's practically the brother i never had.

he's leaving for australia tonight to migrate there and be with his wife, itin. it still hasn't sunk in that he's leaving.

it's weird. though we haven't seen each other much in the last few months, i know he's just a phone call or a text message away. though i know this isn't the last time we'll see each other, it's just different knowing he'll be a couple hundred miles away. it's not going to be so easy to meet up for a couple of beers when we feel like it.

though i'm sad that he's going, i'm happy for him 'cause he'll finally be with itin after so many months.

third, i'll miss you dude! take care over there and good luck! i'll see you next year, ok?

'til next time...

let's get it on!

2005-07-21T01:44:00.000+08:00

ok, it's 1:30am and i just finished customizing my blog.

this is officially my first entry.

honestly, i have absolutely no idea why i started one. i mean, i'm not very much into expressing myself with words. don't get me wrong, it's not that i can't - i just choose not to. i kept a journal once but that's over and done with. i was a writer once but that was back in high school (not to mention a long time ago). nowadays, i'll write when i'm up to it (or when the office requires me to).

but right now, let's see how far this blogging thing will go.

by the way, in case you're wondering what gives about the bear banner, it's from an organization i support which liberates captive and abused bears. i know for a fact that they may be just bears to some people but i think they have a right to live a good life, too. if you want more info, just click on the link :)

that's it for now.

i'm sleepy.

more to come later...