Friday, July 09, 2004

Only Here in the Philippines

I was watching Jay Leno and he made a joke about being in a prison cell and that the room can't be upgraded to a suite. Unfortunately, the same can't be said in the Philippines...

Nocturnal Microwave

Our microwave is semi-broken. Why semi-broken? Because it works in the morning but not during the evening. Unfortunately, the only time I actually eat snacks is during the evening. So let's just say the microwave hates me. Or someone wants me not to eat.

DC VS

Well, Dino told me the other day that the DC VS game will be released next week.

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Attention Book Sluts!

According to Elbert, the Manila International Bookfair will be moved from September to mid-August. And of course, the venue will be changed, from the Megatrade Hall to some bigger place at Roxas Blvd.

What's more important about the change is that we'll be getting foreign publishers, and more importantly, European book publishers. So that's something to rejoice about, at least if you're a serious bibliophile.

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Errrr, For Matrix Fans

10 DVD Boxed Set.

Quote for the Day

Because I just love this quote. And it makes sense:

"Even as a youngster, I could not bring myself to believe that if knowledge presented danger, the solution was ignorance. To me, it always seemed that the solution had to be wisdom. You did not refuse to look at danger, rather you learned how to handle it safely." - Isaac Asimov

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Thursday, July 08, 2004

In Case Someone from the US is Feeling Generous

They could mail me a copy of the July issue of Locus Magazine. Actually, I want to show it to Dean, because he's a great fan of Jeffrey Ford.

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Posting for the Sake of Updating

I think I can't stress the point that when you're broke, you can't go out much (because you'll inevitably have to spend money). And when you don't go out much, you're stuck at home, where something "interesting" seldom happens (or we become desensitized to it... the other alternative would be me whining and whining about my parents).

On a Side Note

Well, there's a couple of new anime showing on TV. I'm currently indulging myself in Tokyo Underground and Dear Boys from ABS-CBN, Samurai Deeper Kyo on Studio 23, Gundam Seed on Cartoon Network, and Detective Q on Animax. Which is one reason why I love the Philippines. Because we really do get more anime than say, if I were living in the US (at least without having to "pay" for it).

Plug

UP AME Film Showing

Naruto : eps 74-79 (2hr Gaara vs Naruto mini-marathon)

Hunter x Hunter OAV3 Greed Island Final: eps 3&4

Ragnarok the Animation: eps 3&4

July 17, 2004, 1-4pm

Palma Hall Room 213-215

entrance fee of 35php, good for the entire afternoon

Ragnarok Free Film Showing

3pm onwards

July 10 - SM Megamall Cinema 4

July 17 - SM Manila Cinema 9

July 31 - SM Southmall Cinema 8

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Monday, July 05, 2004

A Fair Fight

It really irks me when people whine by saying "it's not fair!" Because not only is life unfair, it's really impossible to be fair, at least in the way most people understand.

I mean if we were to be completely fair, that would mean everyone would have to be equal. For example, if two writers were competing against each other, they should have had the same background and opportunities from the day they were born up to the present. They should have identical DNA and identical skills, identical mental capacities and identical physiologies. They also should have been reared the same way and had the same education. Even on the very moment they were competing, the conditions and environment they're in should be the same.

Of course logic dictates that this kind of scenario is impossible. Because we're all born differently, all raised in varying circumstances. Even if you're the parents of twins, the way you raise both of them will not be identical, and the environment they're exposed to will not always be the same (for example, their relationships with their friends will vary). And even in the event that such a scenario happens, logic also dictates that the result should be a tie. But competitions, for example, seldom end in a tie. The determining factor becomes not your own set of skills or talents (since they're supposed to be "equal") but luck or chance. Of course the presence of luck or chance means that one side is favored and one isn't, so the battlefield isn't really equal or fair.

Thus a truly "fair" scenario is impossible, and all these assumes controlled conditions. And life is anything but controlled conditions.

Of course having said all that, that's not to say rules should be bent and every underhanded technique you know should be used to give you an advantage. For me, being fair means that I won't use any undue advantage to aid my case. I mean I already can't change whatever educational background I've attained, for example. What's past is past, and part of my edge is my accumulated knowledge and skill. However, in a competition, it is under my complete control whether to cheat or not, to sabotage my opponent or not, etc. These are factors that I can perform and change, and it is assumed by everyone else that I do not use these kinds of methods to garner me an advantage.

A fair fight isn't really a fair fight. But that doesn't mean each one of us don't have their own brand of ethics or set of morals to govern their actions. And in the end, we all have, albeit unwittingly, unfair advantages.

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A Lifetime of Pain

In life, there are experiences which plainly can’t be avoided. One of them involves pain. Of course having said that, some experiences are more painful than others. As human beings, we often opt for the choices that bestow upon us the least suffering. But telling which is which is not often so easy. As my grade school tutor once told me, “it’s often the smallest pinpricks that sting the most.”

Click here to read more...

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Sunday, July 04, 2004

More Toycon Pictures

From the OAV Website, here's some pics from Toy Con 2004.

From Gabe, here's her Toy Con pics.

And the organizers themselves, Philippine Toys and Collectibles Convention.

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I Know This Already Made News in the US...

... but it wasn't circulated here in the Philippines. Anyway, Airliner Lands at Wrong Airport.

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Mutations

It's annoying when the flies in your room have adapted to insecticide, are pretty quick, and aren't attracted to light. Because it makes them all harder to kill.

On a side note, I've seen rats as big as cats residing in certain buildings, and it really is strange when the rats scare away the cats.

Away

I've been away the whole day yesterday (and I really mean being away from the house for 15 hours). Of course it really isn't comforting to know that I get to have more mosquito bites inside my house than staying outdoors.

Rumor Corner

Anyway, there's another convention with a cosplay being planned for September. This time it's for video games and the like, and the head of the said event is supposedly Ranulf Goss, resident game developer.

Reunion

After spending an exhausting day at CCHQ distributing free comics, I had to go to Eastwood because it was my class's reunion. Of course the text message originally said Block E reunion, which was my block in college, but I originally thought it was my high school's reunion, because I was also in section E. Of course one hour before the said event, I did start dwelling on the fact that the text message said Block E and not Section E, and that there's not much noise recently in our mailing list. So it was probably a college reunion. To my chagrin.

Of course it was also a reunion of sorts considering more than half of the people didn't know up, and those that did showed up late (me actually coming on time). I did get to see people who were my blockmates during freshman year but left for one reason or another (i.e. went abroad, transferred schools, etc.).

There's also two places I don't want to get stranded at night. One is Rockwell, and the other is Eastwood. Because finding a way home short of taking a taxi cab is nearly impossible.

I got home at 3 am, but I didn't spend the last few hours with my former blockmates...

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