Random Sequential Fractals (Pre-Valentine’s Special)

Finally, after what I consider an eternity in the life of blog maintenance, I am back. So look out, world.

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After spending the last few holiday seasons at the office, I finally had Noche Buena at my grandfather’s place and New Year’s at my dad’s house. Then, after seeing the typical dysfunction within the family unit, I actually realized that working off those past holidays may not have been so bad after all. At least it gave me a nice excuse to see my friends, and just focus on having fun with my siblings and cousins.

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We have been about three months without Internet, and two months without telephone. Considering the financial difficulties we have been facing as of late, it’s a miracle we are somehow able to keep up with the other expenses.

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I will grace the City of Pines in a few days, thanks to my usual gig with my friend. Of course, it will mean more quality time for me. Hoo-ah!

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I finally have a bonafide crush at the office. Well, the other office, that is. Looks like I’m giving her a Valentine’s present before I head north.

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After sitting with a friend to work on a script he proposed, I am amazed to find I still have it in me. Time to go on a tear then.

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London-Euro 2012 is a dream I hope to make reality. More on that in the future.

Knocked Down or Knocked Out?

Today was a proud day for Filipinos everywhere. Earlier today, after much anticipation and hype,  Manny “Pac-Man” Pacquiao dominated Puerto Rican boxer Miguel Cotto after a 12th round stoppage of their bout in Las Vegas, Nevada USA. While many feared that Manny may have met his most dangerous foe yet, he took his foe to school from the second round onwards and captured his record-setting seventh title in as many divisions in the process.

Mind you, this was no ordinary boxer. He had a solid win-loss record, marred only by a controversial loss last year to a competitor with allegedly “padded” gloves. And he was the reigning welterweight champion to boot. And yes, the pride of General Santos City sent Puerto Rico’s finest fighter crashing back to earth. Kudos to Pac-Man for a job well done.

This leads to the debate on whether “Sugar” Shane Mosley or Floyd Mayweather Jr. should get dibs on tangling with perhaps the world’s best fighter. While I personal applaud Mosley’s earlier efforts and testicular fortitude to get a one-on-one bout with Manny, a bout with the previous “pound-for-pound best boxer in the world” would be a real draw for many, many fans. And considering Gayweather’s annoying antics and jawing with people around him, the humbler and more focused Pacquiao is a most welcome change in a sport choked with lame gimmicks, dirty money and nasty controversy.

Second, there was Brandon Vera’s controversial loss to the legendary Randy “The Natural” Couture at UFC 105 earlier in the day. That’s right, a match that some say the Filipino-American mixed martial arts fighter could have won. And what a feather in his cap that would have been.

Vera actually had the upper hand midway through the fight, before Couture regained his composure and fought back. A close yet unanimous decision of 29-28 in favor of The Natural left the younger de Vera in shock and dejection after the bout.

Then again, that a Filipino (or Filipino-American, rather) would head the card of the largest organization of one of the fastest growing sports in the world against a legendary opponent is something. It speaks of the Filipino once more becoming the global force.

If anything, Filipinos headlining the two biggest sporting events of any particular day can only mean good things. Filipino pride just got a massive booster shot in the arm indeed.

By the way, it was also two years ago on this day that my then-girlfriend left for Hong Kong to work as a glorified servant for some Chinese family, and almost a year since I heard from her. Irony, indeed.

I woke up thinking about it, and then asking myself if I was really over the deal with her. After all, despite having met some women who caught my eye during my week-long stint at TrendLabs, I did not go ahead with my plan to gather their digits and go beyond the “crush” stage.

My current operating status has listed romantic relationships as a potential complication that I cannot yet handle, pending resolution of a host of personal issues I am handling as of this time. Not that I have become a woman-hater or have given up on relationships altogether, but I lack certainty as to whether I am really ready to pursue romantic interests at this time. And of course, my priority has been on helping out my siblings as well as my niece and nephew, with whom I have stayed with for the last few years.

So for now, I have made up my mind to content myself with what I have and accept whatever comes my way. In short, I have decided to, once again, take me where the winds may blow and face challenges from there. I do have my hand on the control lever, just in case.

And speaking of which, I turned 29 recently. Whoopee. Now I know where those signs of discomfort are coming from.

To those who remembered, thanks again.

My time at TrendLabs

For the past six workdays, I have been reporting to TrendLabs Philippines located in Quezon City as one of the delegates for an ongoing project of global importance. It is my first time to visit the client’s base here in the country, and I would not be disappointed when I set foot on their shores.

Despite suffering a severe lack of sleep owing to my recent addiction to Sorority Life (indeed, you read that correctly) after arriving from work and a rather sudden request by my boss to be the company delegate after barely getting some shut eye, I took the chance with a smile and even packed a bottle of energy drink to keep me up for the long meeting ahead.

First, I was overwhelmed by the free drinks they offered. Aside from the standard fare of water and coffee with the usual sugar and creamer, this also meant all the carbonated sodas I could down, as well as pineapple juice and even Milo. Needless to say, I commenced a long and intense drinking spree from then on.

Second, I found the nature of the account and its people to be similar to the environment I had back in my EA Games days. While serious when work was about, the people had a fun-loving nature that many of my comrades over on my side possessed, making adjustments on my side very minimal. There were many unfamiliar faces, but knowing their mindset, I figured I could get along easily with most of them given time and chance.

The brainstorming we did for the client initiative was certainly refreshing, as it reminded me of how to think out of the box and examine opportunities at the slightest sight of them. And with the potential for this project to change the face of a global leader in computer and Web-based security, I finally felt at some point that I was indeed doing something for the greater good.

But the best reason for enjoying my time at TrendLabs was amazingly simple. I was away from my usual work of supervisor calls, email backlogs and questions from agents flooding me on certain days. It was a quiet time for me, and I lapped it up.

Yesterday, I had lunch with one of our clients (and her better half) who regularly coordinated with us in the flow of daily activities and processes, and it ended with discussions on a range of topics from improved coordination with the client’s goals and objectives to my non-existent lovelife, at one point. I did get kudos for my candor and willingness to work the extra mile as needed, and she even hinted (jokingly) at spiriting me away from my current company.

This Monday will be my last day at TrendLabs. I thank the people who made me feel welcome there, and hope to be back there soon. As for my alleged “prospects”, that awaits another time and tale of yarn.

Workaround for Facebook’s Revamped News Feed

1. Go to your home page.

2. Make sure you are on your Live Feed. If view News Feed is shown, you are in the correct mode. Otherwise, click on the View Live Feed link to switch to the proper mode.

3. Click on Edit Options at the bottommost part of your Home page.

4. Under News Feed Settings, change the default value from 250 to 5000 and save the changes.

5. Your settings should now be good as before.FacebookFa has done it agaion.

Facebook has done it again. Without warning, they have tweaked the user interface with another (you guessed it) blind guess on making the user interface “better” for all its members. This time, they have separated the posts feed into two categories: News Feed and Live Feed.

I have no utter clue as to why or how they would sort all posts into two such vague categories, but one clear side-effect is that you can now view only 250 of the posts that Facebook allegedly chooses to filter through. And for those of us who like to backtrack through the myriad posts our friends put up, it is a joke at best and an insult at worst.

Fortunately, a friend of mine discovered a workaround for this that should return your feed capacity to, well, near normal. She had advised me to share this with everyone else, and so here are the steps with matching screen shots below:

1. Go to your home page.

2. Make sure you are on your Live Feed. If the link for View News Feed is shown, you are in the correct mode. Otherwise, click on the View Live Feed link to switch to the proper mode.

3. Click on Edit Options at the bottommost part of your Home page.

4. Under News Feed Settings, change the default value from 250 to 5000 and save the changes.

5. Your settings should now be good as before.

Once again, thanks so much to my friend Schane for sharing the workaround with me.

I have received word that some people cannot find the Edit Options at the bottom part of their Home page. I have tested my profile on Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox 3.5.3 and Internet Explorer 7, and so far it has appeared on my end.

Here are a few things to check, just in case:

1. Make sure you have set your Home page to display your Live Feed, as this is the mode that you must use to modify your displayed updates. By default, this reverts to your News Feed every time you log out and then log in again.

2. The language used in your Facebook account. I use English UK, it may be worth a try.

3. The web browser you are using. Of course, exclude the ones I have mentioned (and tested).

4. A screen shot might be useful as well, if you want me to check it out.

Here is yet another workaround, shared to me by an officemate through Facebook as well:

1. On the menu on the upper-left hand side, click on the More link.

2. In the expanded list, look for Status Updates.

3. Click and drag the Status Updates option to the top of the said list.

4. Once done, click on it to make it your default page on Home.

The only drawback of this option is that your profile takes on a Twitter-like interface, showing only status updates and excluding all else (like those game updates). Frankly, I like this option a lot.

Thanks again to Gepay for sharing this sweet fix.

The Isolationist View in the Web 2.0 Era

In the past few years since I started working, I noticed that I have not been as crazy with keeping in touch with friends and loved ones as I used to be. So much so, in fact, that cellphone credits that used to last me just a week can easily last almost a month at my current rate of usage.

Some would blame my ungodly work schedule as a reason for it, and I concur at least partly with this. After all, when you spend a long night at the office doing humdrum work and interacting with all kinds of people over the phone and email, the first thing you would want to do at the end of your shift is to simply go home and recover your energy for the coming day.

But the reasons go beyond being swallowed up by the daily grind of the office-home-office-home routine, I discovered one day.

By some incomprehensible force, I have started to take an increasingly isolated view of the world around me. In the course of dealing with the various issues that have come my way, I have seen how the world I knew has changed, affecting everyone I’ve known along with it. Practically so many of my friends and peers have gone on to new levels in life, such as getting married and raising a family, or working abroad supporting their loved ones, or even getting their degree after years of toil in the collegiate ranks. What I knew, in short, has faded away and gone.

For me, this has made them a little harder to reach, a somewhat less ready source of solace when I seek my font of strength to deal with the world’s peculiarities and quirks.

No, I do not fault them in their decisions or chosen directions. They have lives to live, it is given. The reality exists that as we grow and mature, our needs and wants change to a certain amount, which may mean, for example, that someone who hung out with you at all hours in high school may have a different crowd to chill with in his college life. My main solace lies in knowing that if they are doing well, I was glad to have been part of their voyage to self-discovery and growth, whatever amount that may have been.

This has sprouted in me a more isolationist view of the world and how I must deal with it. It has caused me to lean on an even more tight-knit cast of people, which have included my siblings and a few very close external contacts. It has spurred a more independent flame to life, one that recognizes change as the only constant in a world facing continual flux. I feel a sense of having to stand alone a lot more, especially when the situation calls for me to prove my worth in dramatic fashion within a short time.

While some have indeed changed and have become almost invisible to my radar altogether, there are those who choose to stay in touch and keep themselves within reach via the Web 2.0 era. Thanks to them, the world may not be in as severe a flux as I had thought.

Aside from my mobile phone, there are instant messaging sites and programs, social networking sites and even humble email to keep all distances manageable. The proof of this power was never more evident that when Typhoon Ondoy (international name Ketsana) slammed into Luzon last weekend. When landphones and powerlines went down, the net-savvy Pinoy took to his computer and relayed information through the Web, potentially saving thousands of lives in the process.

Then there was the aftermath of the controversial presidential elections in Iran earlier in the year. While the government imposed a media blackout over rising tensions due to allegedly fraudulent electoral results, the enterprising Iranian took to his computer and relayed the news to their colleagues around the world. Some who had video and picture-capturing capabilities on their cellphones took images and recordings of the government crackdown on protesters, revealing to millions on a global scale the harshness of the ruling administration.

Guess I am not such an isolationist after all. With the Web 2.0 era in full swing, I probably just haven’t tried all the means yet.

Davao to Manila… Non-stop.

In less than 24 hours, I will be back in Manila after spending the last several days in beautiful Davao City.

Amazingly, my flight to the scenic city was the first ever airplane ride I ever took, making for an even more enjoyable experience. I was greeted by the familiar scent of the durian almost everywhere I went, and soaked up the laid back atmosphere of the place without a second thought. In addition, the balmy weather and friendly natives made the experience all the more memorable.

My esteemed colleague Doc Bob, who invited me over to perform my usual emceeing duties for his Sail On… concert series, put on yet another grandiose show, with eight schools showcasing outstanding performances from their homegrown talents while earning considerable praise from the many people who were in attendance. Congratulations once again to him for putting on yet another spectacular show.

That being said, I am not looking forward to my flight back to Manila. And it isn’t just because Davao City has grown on me.

Metro Manila and much of Luzon is suffering from the torrential rainfall of Tropical Storm Ondoy (international name Ketsana), which has already broken the record for dumping more rain in six hours than the regional average rainfall for the entire month of September. I have spent the past day glued to the TV, watching the drama and tragedy unfold right before my very eyes. The region has not suffered flooding at this level of severity and broadness, with provinces as far north as Isabela and as far south as the Mindoro provinces declaring states of calamity.

The only bright spot has been that my immediate kin are doing well. Sadly, I can’t say the same for so many others.

I expect chaos when I return to Manila tomorrow evening. I worry it may be a lot more than I can take.

“Ber” Season… In full fury.

Since my last post on Friendster Blogs (http://canon.blog.friendster.com), quite a bit has happened in the intervening weeks.

Last weekend, my officemates and I went to scenic Crystal Beach in the small town of San Narciso, Zambales.  We were greeted by nearly incessant rain, as the tailend of an outgoing typhoon stregthened the impact of the yearly southwest monsoon (locally known as the “hanging habagat”). Despite this, we enjoyed the sizable waves, salty sea air and dramatic change in the normal scenery.

Sadly, my Sony CyberShot camera ended up being a casualty of an otherwise nice weekend, when a large wave engulfed one of my mates who happened to be snapping photos of me.  I lost a wealth of good pictures of the beach, and this had continually dampened my spirits for the rest of the week.

And just last Saturday, my other officemates and I participated in the Trend Micro CSS Basketball Tournament, where our game had been postponed at halftime due to rain entering the court, making conditions hazardous for the players. Our team put on a surprisingly good show, knocking down several jump shots and hustling well on defense to keep the game close.

On a good note, I managed to impress a number of people with my ease in calling commentary for the prior two basketball matches. I think my run for the rest of the tournament has now been assured.

Does this mean I should pursue my dream of being a sports commentator? Not too sure yet, since my finances are a priority for now and I feel the risk is too great for me to shoulder for the meantime. But I certainly have found one of my life dreams, the kind that you dream of accomplishing one day so that you can die happy.

Going to that, I have created a few that would greatly tickle my fancy:

1. Do commentary for a live NBA game, either regular season or playoffs. Any team will do, though I’d like to call a Chicago Bulls home game most.

2. Do commentary for a WWE event. Being paired with good ol’ J.R. would certainly be heaven.

3. Take a grand tour of Europe. Six months there sounds like a good deal.

4. Go skydiving and snap fantastic pictures before I have to deploy my parachute.

5. Find “her” and have my own “… and they lived happily ever after”.

6. Learn how to shoot a gun. At least a handgun, an SMG and a sniper rifle.

Cheesy, one may figure. Chicken sh**, others may say. But after that “beer talk” I had with my supervisor, I concur that a life without dreams is like the Earth without air. Guess I have to start thinking about where I’m going now and what I really want, since I’m not getting any younger.

September, as the first “ber” month of the year, reminds me that Christmas is fast approaching. With that in mind, I have a rush of activities for this month alone and more to follow in the upcoming time. Hope it turns out well for me.