Ice Carvings

Today marked a rare day where i voluntary stayed home to nurse a sprained foot. I'd like to say it was entirely basketball-related, but in all honesty, the whole day was bad for my feet. It started in the morning when i decided to wear my old loafers to work because they were comfy. The sole came off the left foot at the most inopportune time and i almost fell down the stairs in pursuit of my lunch order. Despite having a pair of basketball shoes on hand (or on foot?), I was forced to wear flip flops the rest of the time at work simply due to color coordination problems: my pants were khaki and my baller shoes where black and grey. The style police won this round. Later that day during basketball (tuesday nights are the only time when i offset my beer consumption with actual exercise), i tried sidestepping like i was weighing 130 lbs, and just like that, reality became slow and blurry and my life flashed before my eyes. My left Nike decided to stay put while my body shifted to the ...

We are all witnesses. Especially the past few days. I have done my best to keep silent but I cannot, in good conscience, let it go without saying anything. Short of switching allegiance from the Kings to the team where The King once held court, I held you in high esteem, and considered you my last best hope. You were supposed to be the One King who could do what the Kings could not: topple the evil empire out West, even if at the expense of my team that never wins. You never even made it that far, your dream matchup with your fellow shoe endorser never came to fruition. Simply put, your team never showed up for the dance. And all the while, the cold blooded snake won it all two out of three times. I found your game refreshing, your brute strength indefatigable, and your vision uncanny. The game is yours for the taking, and although you always threaten to break new records every game, you seem more interested to display trick shots during shootarounds and take imaginary pictures of your...

yesterday marked the return leg of my last trip as "the guy" for south luzon. Fittingly, a buddy mentioned as we were parting that i first met him during Parada ng Lechon and I was saying goodbye 3 paradas later. I felt sad but managed to smile, but then i could've sworn i heard him mutter " Who cares ?" as he turned around... As we traversed the length and breadth of the asphalt, i tried to gather sweet memories of my short stint here at the provinces that i brazenly adopted as my own, only to be paranoid that the residents were really anxious to see me go. I tried to retrieve from my memory palace the favorite activities and get-togethers that we did in behalf of the name we carried. Strangely, all i got were moments of pure embarrassment (for both yourself and the name you carried) by falling asleep or puking at the most inopportune time (or person). Blame the long travel. I tried to cram into my mind the thousands and thousands of kilometers or roads that le...

... I can't. --- Please forget the words that I just blurted out. It wasn't me, it was my strange and creeping doubt. It keeps rattling my cage, and there's nothing in this world will keep it down. Even though I might, even though I try, I can't Even though I might, even though I try, I can't. So many things that keep, that keep me underground. So many words that I, that I can never find. If you give up on me now, I'll be gutted like I've never been before. Even though I might, even though I try, I can't Even though I might, even though I try, I can't. If you give up on me now, I'll be gutted like I've never been before. Even though I might, even though I try, I can't Even though I might, even though I try, I can't. - Radiohead, I Can't --- More importantly, i guess i shouldn't. I don't know. I'm adding a year to my grand total pretty soon and i feel as confused as the day i was born...

Asked yet again to choose between Boston and Los Angeles to win it all this year, i resolve with all finality to stay away from the NBA Finals. I hate both teams. I'm not sure which one i hate more. Just because I temporarily switch allegiance to some other team (Houston, Portland, and Phoenix) during playoffs where my beloved Kings didn't figure in, that doesn't mean i have to choose a side. Especially if you're stuck in a finals match between Scylla and Charybdis. One is a team that illogically embodies burning fire and team concept, despite featuring players known for being both old and egomaniacal. The other team relies too much on the heroics of a similar egomaniac (although lately he's just being projected as a stone-cold killer). Supporting cast of deferential players include my favorite endorser for crazy pills. So, no more bets. I'll gladly watch the games and maybe enjoy moments of pure sports joy, but far be it for me to cheer the last remaining pair...

Having received ugly looks from my housemates for using the TV to watch either the NBA playoffs or play the office or family guy reruns, I knew it was time to switch channels. Having fallen out of love with JackTV because they show too much wrestling (which I also fell out of love with when I reached 30), I was free to engage in the universal pastime of channel surfing which almost always boils down to discovery channel, national geographic, HBO, and baby tv, I caught Cars on Disney channel but only managed to watch the last few minutes where Lightning McQueen left radiator springs to participate in the climactic race. Was able to watch the end credits in full though. This shows how bored I was. Flipping the remote, I came across Nat Geo's Known Universe: The Fastest. The episode talked about the theory of relativity and it caught my attention - despite the fact that I couldn't understand the explanations for the various concepts being floated around. I did manage to pick up so...

i know the Church encourages us to maintain a unified front to combat the growing evil in the world, but tell me why the heck do they keep churning out different versions on how to sing "Our Father?" --- On a relatively different note, if you have time to visit this godforsaken blog, i guess you have the time to visit http://www.transparencyreporting.net/ . If, like me, you feel that your taxes are going nowhere (same as the rest of your paycheck), you at least owe it to yourself to check out this site to learn a bit about where your money is being spent. To counterbalance, the site also gives valuable info on where the money should be spent and how we John Dela Cruzes can do our share in ensuring better representation. I wouldn't bet on better government, though, as USAID helped sponsor the site... I'm just saying. After visiting the site and knowing more, you could now just be like me, all frothing at the mouth but too cute to care...

It's been a glorious weekend apart from the anticlimactic boxing match that brought the world to a standstill. I managed to leave work for two whole days and resumed my normal, predictable, and didactic life. So what does one do to spend two days of freedom? Nothing. Absolutely nothing. Nothing in the sense that everything you do will have trivial consequences at the most. First, the hair had to go. It's been a fun ride sporting the 'do that made no sense. Long, wild and wispy. While I enjoyed it, it wasn't really practical to keep putting my bangs behind my ears during meetings with tenured managers and distinguished stakeholders, not to mention my mom. Plus, in this weather? The sessions with dinosaur jr are getting great as well. At 2 months, I think we have a pretty good understanding of each other, much to the chagrin of his mother. He now smiles at me whenever i glance at him. I guess we now communicate by eye contact a la Clever Hans. Next, axe grinding. This has...

ELAN (elan) Noun. 1.A feeling of strong eagerness (usually in favor of a person or cause); a positive feeling of wanting to push ahead with something; 2.A distinctive and stylish elegance; a refined quality of gracefulness and good taste; 3.An enthusiastic and assured vigor and liveliness; sprightliness, liveliness, spirit, life - animation and energy in action or expression. --- December 22, 2009 at 3:26 PM saw the coming of Elpidio Antonio (Elan) Lopez, the latest recipient/casualty of the belligerent Lopez surname this side of Luzon. His arrival into this world was a bit much like his dad's everyday dealings. There was lots of hype during the intro as Nel was into labor the day before, and stayed for at least 20 hours in the labor room without the benefit of a companion except fellow mothers-to-be bellowing in pain. During the actual arrival, i was still caught off guard. After conferring with her OB, who advised us that Nel (despite being in the labor room since the day before...

Sick Boy got it right. Even more impressive, he got it right in the first trimester of the movie. What am i talking about? Here: Sick Boy: It's certainly a phenomenon in all walks of life. Renton: What do you mean? Sick Boy: Well, at one time, you've got it, and then you lose it, and it's gone forever. All walks of life: George Best, for example. Had it, lost it. Or David Bowie, or Lou Reed... Renton: Some of his solo stuff's not bad. Sick Boy: No, it's not bad, but it's not great either. And in your heart you kind of know that although it sounds all right, it's actually just shite. Renton: So who else? Sick Boy: Charlie Nicholas, David Niven, Malcolm McLaren, Elvis Presley... Renton: OK, OK, so what's the point you're trying to make? Sick Boy: All I'm trying to do is help you understand that The Name of The Rose is merely a blip on an otherwise uninterrupted downward trajectory. Renton: What about The Untouchables? Sick Boy: I don't rate tha...

sigh... It's October, and we're slowly creeping into the NBA season. About this time, preseason games between teams get scheduled and we catch a preview of what's in store for our favorite team. Like clockwork, my beloved Kings are off to the races. In their first two preseason games... ...they racked up two straight losses. Against the same team. I know the preseason games mean nothing but a chance to try your rookies and experiment with potential lineups, but a loss is a loss. But i'm sticking to my Kings. Here's to a long basketball season yet again...

Oh, you've got green eyes Oh, you've got blue eyes Oh, you've got grey eyes And I've never seen anyone quite like you before No, I've never met anyone quite like you before Heaven, a gateway, a hope Just like a feeling I need, it's no joke And though it hurts me to see you this way Betrayed by words, I'd never heard, too hard to say Up, down, turn around Please don't let me hit the ground Tonight I think I'll walk alone I'll find my soul as I go home Each way I turn, I know I'll always try To break this circle that's been placed around me From time to time, I find I've lost some need That was urgent to myself, I do believe Oh, you've got green eyes Oh, you've got blue eyes Oh, you've got grey eyes And I've never seen anyone quite like you before No, I've never met anyone quite like you before Bolts from above hurt the people down below People in this world, we have no place to go Oh, it's the last time Oh, I...

Ive told myself so many times before But this time I think I mean it for sure We have reached a full stop Nothings gonna save us from the big drop Reached our natural conclusion Outlived the illusion I hate being in these situations That call for diplomatic relations If I only knew the answer Or I thought we had a chance Or I could stop this I would stop this thing from spreading like a cancer What can I say? (I dont want to play) anymore What can I say? Im heading for the door I cant stand this emotional violence Leave in silence Weve been running around in circles all year Doing this and that and getting nowhere Thisll be the last time (I think I said that last time) If I only had a potion, Some magical lotion That could stop this, I would stop this I would set the wheels in motion - Depeche Mode, "Leave in silence" I guess some things are better left unsaid. In the aftermath of the storm's devastation, i guess i'm lucky to have the opportunity to realize that there...

for most, the current bleak weather is something to be dreaded about. Me? I'm comfortably weird, so this weather somewhat makes me feel good. The gray overcast sky that threatens rain and any moment but won't yet? I used to walk along the tree lined avenues of UP wearing a flowing coat during these times. Of course, when the mood darkens and rains pour nonstop, the fun ceases. It's gonna be hard laughing knowing some of your countrymates' houses are being swept away by floods that could have been easily prevented. I'm digressing. Weather like this kinda recharges my batteries and helps keep me in perspective. The imminent threat of rain brings a promise that whatever recent bad days you might have will now be washed away. Which reminds me of a classic toad the wet sprocket song: Nothings so loud As hearing when we lie The truth is not kind And youve said neither am i But the air outside so soft is saying everything Everything All I want is to feel this way To be thi...

just finished an afternoon shopping for groceries and doing nominal household chores. Considering nel's bed rest condition and the maid's newbie status, things still need to get done around the house, i had to play saturday as chore day. even if i just arrived hours earlier from the Okto opening in Sta. Rosa. Four days of work-related drink makes one yearn for Saturdays. Thankfully manang was helping in eliminating the basic workload. a trip to the grocery, paying the bills, and a cleanup later, i got kinda into the mood and looked for anything else to do. So i went to my Kings sanctuary (which i haven't visited in a while) and took a look at my CD collection. To call it a collection is a stretch, as i have mostly new wave and alternative compilations. Thankfully, there are only a few CDs that i regret buying, and i became fonder with some over the years. As soon as i finished my inventory, i found out i was missing a few CDs and a couple of CD cases. Hopefully, they'll...

yep, sometimes being a jack-of-all-trades can be a good thing. while i'm more successful at taking things apart more than getting them back together on, i kinda like the feeling knowing that you can fix things even if you're not really trained to do so. some of the things i was able to repair on my own include my first Playstation One, a couple of my cellphones when they display basic problems, my computers (work and home), the wifi server, simple car trouble, etc. You get the picture. Not that i saved money by repairing things on my own. Like i mentioned, i often break more than i repair. It's just that nothing beats the feeling that you know what's wrong about something and have an inkling how to repair it. I tried my hand at the 21 inch TV set lounging idly for months now and took it apart. I saw the problem and i have the tools. Believe me, some people have a toolbox, i have a toolshed. No wonder visitors keep calling me a tool. Going back, i ripped the TV to its ba...

i've been looking tired the past few weeks owing to a killer schedule, a disoriented state of wakefulness, and a lot of mental anguish about the future involving intangible theories. If there's one thing i'm good at, it's advertising my state of mental being. And now that actual developments have surfaced, i had to look at myself in the mirror, as I realize that the worst thing i can do at times like these is to play the part of the clueless. Or indifferent. Or even tired. Looking back, i guess there are three explanations, all valid: - where i am abundant in terms of rationalization, i sorely lack in empathy - where i am abundant in terms of lucidity, i sorely lack in perspective - where i am abundant in terms of expression, i sorely lack in due selection Then after a budget meeting and before i had to rush back to my office to play host to a group of visitors, i had to rush home and take the very pregnant nel to the hospital and find out why she's having contracti...

Owing to my natural lack of inclination to units of time, i have realized only lately that i have recently completed three (3) full years of service to what is locally meant as "the company." Yep. While this may sound like a very shallow premise to a blog entry, i never really claimed any discernible depth the whole time i was blogging. This simply means that you better suppress your groan and keep reading. There is nothing good on TV on a typical saturday night. Anyways, i thought it would be fun to do a list of some of the things i learned during my 1st three years stay here, grouped in lists of 3. Posts on a staggered basis. The things i do to fall asleep. List one: 3 things i learned while chained to the desk: 3. A great company can have really old furniture and get away with it. I can swear that some of the desks have chewing gum stuck in them, whose brands have been well extinct from the market twenty years or so. Does Tarzan gum ring a bell? 2. There are really instanc...

Hit by the mighty hammer of insomnia yet again. I really thought that an honest week's work would help do the trick in curing my inability to sleep as of late, but so far i think i made things worse. I am physically drained yet i find myself wide awake at 2am. My state of sobriety is variable during these last two weeks but when i wake at 2, it's either the pangs of hunger, the dryness of the mouth, or the acid taste in the throat are what's there to keep me awake. I need the sleep. (posted via ipod 849pm)