Updated Akismet in all blogs.
Updated Wp-Polls in 2 of the 3 blogs.
Updated MomEx Events with four schools’ Summer Programs (approx. 8-10 events each).
Created a special feedburner feed for MomEx Events.
Fixed those ugly Ad network ads, changed them to default sidebar colors.
Wrote a blogpost about DLSU ADMU for BallEx (last night).
Fixed the css of pagenavi to look better on MomEx and BallEx.
Placed BallEx pagenavi code on archives.php for both top and bottom.
Placed next and previous links at ballex on single.php for both top and bottom (far easier to navigate now).
Invoiced Client.
Tag: Rambling
Pacquiao Fearless Forecast plus Other Thoughts
I’ve been scouring the Internet for the past hour trying to find a streaming live video, audio or otherwise any whatever sort of livecast to no avail. I’ve found a few but they aren’t free, and their amateurish looking sites don’t look very reassuring, so no go.
Jill’s household usually buys into whatever Sky offers during Pacquiao fights to watch it live, but I’m still suffering from heat fatigue I got last Friday when I stupidly took a walk under direct sunlight for almost an hour, making me sick. I had two events that day and by the second one that evening my muscles were cramping and I felt like collapsing. Anyway I’ve decided to rest in for the weekend, and maybe get some work in too.
So anyway here’s what I think: Pacquiao’s gonna win. Which round? I dunno. What do I base this on? Just the way he looks. I know it sounds corny, but he does look like he’s got the ‘eye of the tiger’, whatever that is. Win or lose, he’s really become more impressive than I originally sized him up to be, mainly because inspite of the fact that he has already achieved far more than our wildest dreams would’ve thought anyone could, he’s still at it, training like his whole survival is at stake.
Continue reading Pacquiao Fearless Forecast plus Other Thoughts
Learn To Read
One of the nice things I like about big Press gigs is you occasionally get the chance to talk to other writers, many of whom have been in the business for decades. Yesterday I was seated beside friends from Manila Tribune, a sorta celeb guy from Studio 23 and interestingly enough, editors from 34 year old magazine Mod.
I unfortunately wasn’t able to ask for a calling card, so I forgot her name in the mayhem that is a Press event that included the usual big announcements, a displaying of new prods plus of course feeding us and raffling off prizes. At any rate we fortunately found time to small talk about a topic close to my heart, the dwindling number of readers and quality of written and spoken English in the Philippines, something she knew well about, coincidentally being a CEU Journalism Professor as well.
So here’re I’ll share a few things I’ve learned to believe.
One, is that I don’t think ‘Learn To Read campaigns’ are very effective. I’ve seen the ones Inquirer tried to do plus maybe a few others, and they’ve tried going the celebrity route (celebs explaining what reading has done for them etc.) but for the most part, that turns me off more than interests me. Of course, I’ve never been interested in celebs in the first place, so I’m probably an exception.
Jun Lozada, You Have NO Friends.
Joker Arroyo blew his top at Lozada before he finished recounting how he had a meeting with the Senator’s wife. And as I watched at how Lozada started raising his patent girly voice in surprise, eventually leading to tears, I just had to wonder if Lozada knew what he was getting into when he got there. Apparently, judging from his reaction, he doesn’t.
Jun Lozada imho, is either naive or in denial. He clearly doesn’t see that in politics, he has no friends. As he declares how much of a fan he is of Joker Arroyo, the surprise in his voice at Joker’s anger was hard to mask. Lozada is a babe in the woods, and to his credit he admits as much. He is completely clueless to the fact that at this point, he shouldn’t trust anyone, because in politics it is every man for himself, each one looking out for number one. So if he really truly believes that Mike Defensor, Sec. Atienza, or anyone else amongst his proferred friends would not sell their souls to see him shut up, he’s sure to be crying even more in the days to come.
On Keeping Focus
I worked all day on a special project for Kikay and as I write this I’ve spent approximately 20 minutes staring at the Internet wondering what else to do before the inevitably similar day tomorrow. Within that 20 minutes I finally wrote a ‘spiel’ to send to people interested in advertising at Mom Exchange, whose instructions I finalized a few days ago, no doubt again similar to this one in terms of busyness (yes another invented word. I just like making them up so shoot me).
At any rate, herewith are random thoughts from my vegged out mind minutes away from going beddy night night.
On my bedside is the marvelous One Hundred Years Of Solitude by – need I say who wrote it but I’ll say it anyway why not – Gabriel Garcia Marquez. A book which in my opinion, he probably wrote whilst on a perpetual narcotic induced high. Because Jesus H Christ, how could someone write something so magnificent as that. It’s the sort of thing you kind of drone on throughout, turning page after page before you realize that what seemed initially like a continuous tide of ill connected events is actually starting to frame itself into a story which is, without you knowing it, taking you on a ride.
How our brains work according to me
I worked on the car all day and thoroughly enjoyed it. If not for the fact that it didn’t turn out as well as I hoped (I fixed something but in the process, ‘broke’ something else :P), today was a pretty good day.
I think hobbies are important because it takes you away from what you’re doing long enough to at least give you a fresh perspective on what it is you normally do. In other words, I worked on my car because I didn’t wanna work on my projects or the sites – my solution to the fact that I am so up to my ears in work (and consequently, thinking about it), that if I spend any more time working on it I’m liable to go nuts.
The left and right turn switch doesn’t work for some odd reason, so my solution was to open and clean it up thoroughly using a rag and contact cleaner spray. I did so, and by golly who’d have known such a thing was so complex inside? It had bearings and tiny little springs that would fall over the place if you weren’t careful opening it up. At any rate, I got it to work in the end, but only after a hell of a time. I realized I was literally bent over in concentration for an hour or two, and when I finally got it together and working I felt like celebrating. Problem is, the switch for the windshield wipers suddenly doesn’t work now (it was working fine before I opened it up, and I never touched it when I did), so that’s egg in my face right there. I’ll get it to work though. I’m sure it’s just something loose somewhere.
Talking Myself To The Gym
No sooner had I finished two sessions at a nearby neighborhood gym than poof, off they go to a new location, nearer the new SM Tanay. Obviously Ye Gods are against me improving my health. There’s proof right there!
At any rate am trying at this very moment, as I write this, to get into my sweats and go over there to do some reps. I’ve not seen the new location yet but what the heck I got a rough sketch and idea where it is so I should really hie off to it.
It turns out I had been suffering from fatigue after Jill told me that that was usually the case when you wake up feeling completely exhausted and aching all over even after a full night’s sleep. Further investigation proves the same, and although I know I’m self – medicating here, it makes pretty much good sense. The past two workouts, a full two weeks ago by now, proved absolutely energizing and I felt completely refreshed and back to my old self – that being the bouncing off the walls – full of energy – ready to take on the world type. A week after that, I overworked myself when I went to a client and the day after woke up after a full 8 hours completely dazed, with a pounding headache and aching all over, with the light still turned on and holding the phone at that – indicating I fell asleep almost instantaneously after speaking on the phone, and stayed still throughout the night.
Random Thoughts on KE and MomEx
I’m flummoxed by a bit of news I just now received over IM from a friend, and just when I was about to start writing this. It’s hit me like a ton of bricks but at this very moment I think the best thing to do is to act normal and hope for the best. Not that there’s a best thing to do in this case anyway. You just go ahead and do it.
I suppose this is a kind of obligatory blog update, considering its been weeks since I greeted Freddie Mercury a happy birthday. I will obligatorily mention how so many things have happened since, and how I’m obligated to say I don’t know where to start. But for the most part I think my attention has been focused on the Kikay Shop. I’ve added new face and body care products from Leyende, and the rest of the products are due for an overhaul as well, with their suppliers coming out with new stuff.
I’ve pretty much laid out how things are gonna go for Kikay Exchange I think. As a matter of fact it was the same way as I planned it out years ago, but I admit I lost my way a bit partly due to getting too involved in the nitty gritty details and partly because I may have lost confidence in my original plans. But, as a testament to the value of planning, the foundations of a good idea are really what carries it onwards. Sooner or later (hopefully sooner), the site’s strengths come out, and you find yourself carrying out the plan whether you’re still intent on it or not. It’s sort of like planning and working your ass of to make something work and then, years later saying ‘Wow! It Worked! Who knew?!‘
Jill Takes The Bar
Jill is finally about to take the bar this Sunday and 3 Sundays after that. So before anything else, and to confirm what I’ve always told her, I will write here exactly what I’ve said and will always say: I am proud of you honey, you have done your best to prepare for this and I have no doubt in my mind that you will ace it, and that is not just boyfriend talk believe me.
Jill is one of those highly intelligent people that still do not completely understand what she’s capable of. For example she is obviously a closet geek, outwardly shunning ‘techie things’ when in fact she’s hooked on Karen my laptop, has realized the value of an iPod when she started living by herself at the dorm, and is completely hooked on GPRS. Aside from that, she knows how to handle HTML without an editor. I mean, beat that right? I taught her most of the html basics for the posts on Kikay but for the most part, she relies on using the WordPress GUI to produce her posts and then Photoshops her own images. That takes skill honey, so embrace your inner geekness and admit it so I can teach you CSS and you can fix some of Kikay’s flaws :)
At any rate I thought I was going to make like the good boyfriend and hang out in front of DLSU all day in support, but after two consecutive Bar Ops I think I’ve fully grasped the uselessness of such an endeavour. It’s obvious to me for example, that the most important thing is for the Barristers to get as much peace, quiet and rest as possible. If there’s anything they don’t know yet at that time, it’s clearly too late to learn anyway. Also, the last thing I wanna do is impose on her by making her worry about having to meet me before or after the whole shebang, and even if we do meet afterwards, she’s gonna be too knocked out anyway. I understand, being a College thing, how easy it is for things like these to become slumber parties, but it’s plainly obvious to keep these things as simple as possible. These people have enough on their minds as it is and the best thing to do is also the easiest: don’t get in their way.
A Note About My Health
It’s probably the death knell of a blog to discuss stuff such as one’s health, but hell that’s what’s on my mind these days so that’s what I’m gonna talk about.
Suffice to say I had not been taking very good care of myself for the past few months, the highlight and reason of which is my addiction to caffeine. Well about a week ago today, I decided to do something about that, and quit this evil substance entirely after an approximate 3 to 4 cup a day habit.
First I’d like to put a good word in about quitting cold turkey. I figure this really is the best method if not the only effective method there is, to my mind. Over the years I’d been addicted to smoking and – of all things – working out, and I call it addiction because it had reached unhealthy levels, as all such activity done in excess turns out. Quitting, or rather, just absolutely quitting cold turkey, is really the best because you really can’t negotiate against addiction. And that is essentially what ‘quitting in moderation’ or merely ‘slowing down’ means. It’s like trying to negotiate against an enemy who knows you better than you do. It (addiction. And I’m speaking metaphorically here of course), will say yeah yeah sure sure we’ll slow down the next time, and then turn around and snigger at your naivete. It just won’t go away until you make an absolute decision to just give it up, and you can give it up only by just giving it up right there and then.
At any rate, now I’ll put in a bad word about caffeine, which from wikipedia is described as ‘the world’s most widely consumed psychoactive substance, but unlike most other psychoactive substances, it is legal and unregulated in nearly all jurisdictions.‘, which to my mind, is like saying Starbucks is a drug pusher, but it’s ok.