Delayed Anniversary for This Blog

As usual, demands of work and limited access to a I-net linked PC the past few weeks this 2005 have kept me from noting that this blog has turned 1 since its initial creation back 2004.

The blog has gone through a number of entries, template revisions and minor additions like comments and tagboard. All in all, it still works.

A few more interesting links would be forthcoming as I review the last set of links to see which ones need refreshing or pruning.

As to content, with the P3 operational again, I'll go about adding some creative writings as much as possible.

That's about it for the meantime.

*Doghouse is surrounded by a lot of scaffolding and surrounded by work crews and construction equipment and supplies. Lots of voices and equipment noise.*

Monitor's on the blink, literally

After what I thought was smooth computer sailing after having the P3's hard disk replaced and OS restored, things would be fine. Until the previously unmentioned malady has flared up again, the monitor's been blinking. Its actually more a strobe effect where it flashes with the effect of the picture appears to zoom in as if you're drawn into the monitor kind of effect. Kinda cool yet kinda freaky and moreso a portent of the shorting out monitor that I remembered with the monitor of an old B&W CGA monitor that went with our outdated PC XT comp.

The monitor is now under observation and repairs over the weekend now and still now positive note on its status. Will hear more news of it later after I get back from work. I hope it wouldn't necessitate the purchase of a new monitor. I am pretty much ready to go in picking up the old games I haven't played for a while and then this happens. *Sighs* Such technical difficulties....

Restored Capability at cost

Just got the Pentium 3 looked over at a repair shop. It was suppose to involve a reformat and reinstall of OS but later in the day, call from tech says that the hard disk is trashed.

New hard disk to replace the old one, 10 gigabytes more than the old one.
Pretty much happy that the P3 is back online and now I can reinstall my backup files and resume some entertainment and creative opportunities with it soonest. Also my blogging will improve more in terms of updates as well.

Things are looking up a bit in the Doghouse.

Lights and sounds emit from the windows of the doghouse.

Off The Wall Opening Spiels

This just came about from weariness from work, boredom and just plain craziness that stirs from stress. Only two opening spiels for some unusual call centers so far.


Godzilla.com
"Thank you for calling Godzilla.com. Is there a devastation I can help you with today?"


X-Com hotline
"Thank you for calling X-Com. Is there an alien invasion I can help you repel today?"


Plain stir craziness indeed for me to have it coalesce in my head. ^_^

Out of Sync

The title of this blog entry pretty much sums up as to how things are going for me as well as my recent purchases have gone.

As to my life it is more about how my sleep cycle is going and how it intersects with whatever free time I have outside of work. It definitely has an impact for an social activity as well.

The other item in conjunction to this is a number of music video DVDs I have purchased these past few weeks. It started off innocuously with the Enya Music Video collection I recently bought where the audio portion doesn't sync well with the video portion as if the audio portion leads by about more half a second or more. This trend followed further to a recent purchase, a collection of 80's music videos, the time lead is a bit less noticeable except for the more familiar and perceptive.

The recent music video DVDs got me affected in terms of timing with my recent outing with Vin and company for a late night round of karaoke till around past 4 AM the following day. Good thing I filed a leave for that Saturday night.

Talk about timing issues which can affect perception of things. Good thing the universe or reality doesn't suffer from this or some serious repercussions can occur. A thought to think over for some fiction piece for sure.

More thoughts to post next time while I still get in tune with life and work.

Another Valentine in Solitude...

..or so my post goes. Its that time of the year on the second month that this occasion happens. I'll not ramble much on what I do on such a day but I'll just fill this entry with lyrics from some songs I know.


My Heart So Blue
By Erasure

I've got her picture
It's there on the wall
I can't remember why I keep it at all
The doors are cold and all the windows seem gray
I write the book
There's so much more I should say

Wave goodbye
See my heart...so blue
Wave goodbye
Lost for you

And now it's over
I write it all down
No one to notice
One less face in the crowd
Our eyes are open
When it suits us to see
Dear God in heaven
Show no mercy to me

Wave (wave) goodbye
See my heart...so blue
Wave (wave) goodbye
Lost for you

I shed no tears
And there's no reason for shame
A small consolation
Hides a stone with her name
Just a victim
Still the light shines on bright
I've got her picture
Think I'll hold it tonight

Wave (wave) goodbye
See my heart...so blue
Wave (wave) goodbye
Lost for you (Lost for you)

Wave (wave) goodbye
See my heart...so blue
Wave (wave) goodbye
Lost for you

Wave (wave) goodbye
See my heart...so blue
Wave (wave) goodbye
Lost for you

Wave (wave) goodbye
See my heart...so blue
Wave (wave) goodbye
Lost for you

Wave (wave) goodbye
See my heart...so blue
Wave (wave) goodbye
Lost for you

Wave (wave) goodbye
See my heart...so blue
Wave (wave) goodbye
Lost for you

Wave (wave) goodbye
See my heart...so blue


Spiralling
By Erasure

I try hard
To put you out of mind
Every night alone
I'm thinking 'bout you
How can I avoid this
Pain without you
I won't cry
I won't be sorry no more
I know that this is something I'll get over
Maybe I can learn to love another
It's just a matter of time
A matter of time

Just because I lock myself in my room
It doesn't mean that I'm afraid to talk to
Those people I know that might have you seen you
No return
I keep reminding myself
I won't look back
Won't regret a single moment
I gonna mend this heart inside you've broken
It's just a matter of time
A matter of time
It's just a matter of time
A matter of time

Show me the way
They say safety in numbers
I lift up my eyes to the sky
And imagine a crowd
Of hearts that surround me
And give the me courage to die
Were you to weep
And lie at my feet
Then you'd wash all
My troubles away
And imagine the host
Of angels around me
That give me the courage to die

Victim of Love
By Erasure

-chorus:
I don’t wanna look
Like some kind of fool
I don’t wanna break
My heart over you
I’m building a wall
Everyday it’s getting higher
This time I won’t end up
Another victim of love

You say that I could
Show some emotion
That I’ve been
Keeping secrets from you
But I can see through
All your sweet talk
And all of your affection untrue
I’m gonna find you out
If I scream and I shout
You won’t break down my protection

Chorus

I’m gonna lock up
What I’m feeling inside
Ain’t no way you can
Break down the door
Cause this time I’ve learned my lesson
You can take this declaration of war
Step right back
Put on your coat and your hat
Gonna avoid all complications

Chorus

Oh L'Amour
By Erasure

Oh l’amour
Broke my heart
Now I’m aching for you
Mon amour
What’s a boy in love
Supposed to do

Looking for you
You were looking for me
Always reaching for you
You were too blind to see
Oh love of my heart
Why leave me alone
I’m falling apart
No good on my own

Oh l’amour
Broke my heart
Now I’m aching for you
Mon amour
What’s a boy in love
Supposed to do

Why throw it away
Why walk out on me
I just live for the day
For the way it should be
There once was a time
Had you here by my side
You said I wasn’t your kind
Only here for the ride

Oh l’amour
Broke my heart
Now I’m aching for you
Mon amour
What’s a boy in love
Supposed to do

No emotional ties
You don’t remember my name
I lay down and die
I’m only to blame
Oh love of my heart
It’s up to you now
You tore me apart
I heard inside-out

Oh l’amour
Broke my heart
Now I’m aching for you
Mon amour
What’s a boy in love
Supposed to do

Oh l’amour
Broke my heart
Now I’m aching for you
Mon amour
What’s a boy in love
Supposed to do




Always Breaking My Heart
By Belinda Carlisle

Is this what you want
Every finger points at me
This might be funny
If it wasn’t such a tragedy
After a while
It gets harder to smile
And pretend that things are ok

So when you need the in the middle of the night
I won’t be there cos you’re always breaking my heart
You’re always breaking my heart
You always tear it apart
Yeah oh yeah

So cross yourself now
Get down on your knees and pray
But no powers from heaven
Could ever take the darkness away
I’ve tried climbing the walls
But you’ve built them too tall
So it’s time I walk away now (walk away now)

And when you call me in the middle of the night
(of the night)
There’s no one there cos you’re always breaking my heart
You’re always breaking my heart
You always tear it apart
Yeah yeah yeah

Reach out a hand to hold
Ain’t it sad when the distance grows
Two hearts cling to their fates
Remember that first embrace
But I can’t worry anymore


The first four songs up there can sound pretty depressing but that's how I feel at times. The last song is pretty more in tune about moving on without looking back. I'll be fine. I am still living, still surviving as much as I can handle. More stuff which is not depressing next time.

Reasons for using Applied Force

My last blog entry mentioned PS2 games. I forgot to mention two other PS2 game in my capsule reviews. One is The Punisher and Mercenaries.

The Punisher is a major no holds barred third person shooter where you play titular Frank Castle which is set in the Garth Ennis inspired setting in the comic book. You'll be working your way through the Gnucci crime family and finally go up against Jigsaw, a familiar character for Punisher fans prior to the angelic revamp and the current Kill Bill-esque format now.

Mercenaries happens to be a Lucasarts game. A non-Star Wars related game besides recent successes Full Throttle and the Monkey Island game series. In Mercenaries, you play a merc for Executive Operations (ExOps). ExOps kinda reminds of the SHIELD-esque IO (International Operations) of Wildstorm Universe fame. Your mission involves the capture of a rebel faction leader from North Korea. The entire setting of the game is in Korea of the near future, home country of Sandara Park. Makes me wonder if she's a spy for the N. Koreans. :P Anyways, you go into contract missions for the factions involved in the Korea theater of operations, Allied Nations (Ala UN peackeeping forces), Russian Mafia, Red Chinese Army and South Korean Army. I can also call this game GTA: Korea given that you can hijack vehicles along the massive landscape. Certain actions affect your standing with the factions in the game due to friendly fire or because of the contract you're taking.

Already finished Mercenaries and now currently going into Frank's shoes to meet punishment with a full armory. More stuff to post next time.

*Trudges back into the doghouse. Weapon barrels sticking out and bulging from beneath a leather coat.*

Recent additions to the optical media library

Just had a good number of DVDs and PS2 games recently after work on the recent Sunday. Despite the unmitigated threats on the news that the OMB's crackdown tactics would also involve arresting buyers of pirated media has yet netted a single consumer. I still of course have to be on guard when you never know is a plainclothes cop or a raid be around the corner. The DVDs I've recently acquired are music video DVDs with group-no-longer Savage Garden and reunited girl band in 2001 The Go-Go's. The Savage Garden DVD is mostly comprised of all the music videos from their first album, pretty standard collection fare. As to The Go-Go's DVD, its a DVD of their reunion concert in Central Park, NY. The Go-Go's were playing up all their old songs and new ones from their reunion album "God Bless The Go-Go's". A lot has changed when you see these women play music since their earlier heyday in the 80's.

As to the PS2 games, I got the games Nanobreaker, Full Metal Alchemist and Playboy: The Mansion. Also added Capcom's Fighting Evolution, and Mega Man X: Command Mission. The Megaman game is for my niece just to second-guess any acquisition protests from her.

Playboy: The Mansion is pretty much like The Sim's except it involves a bit more in handling a magazine business. Pleasure gets to mix in with business in this game. Its doesn't get to lurid or raunchy since the level of nudity you get from female characters is up to topless.

Nanobreaker comes out as a third-person slasher game wherein you play Jake, a mil-grade cyborg brought out of cryo-suspension to avert execution for war crimes. Armed with a Plasma Blade, Jake is sent in to protect a scientist sent into a remote island where nanomachines have run amuck. The CG movies are pretty great to see. CG movies are about more clearer and sharper than the CG movies used in their Silent Hill installments SH3 and SH: The Room. Watching the CG movies and playing the game have spurred much more interest in me in developing a character for a side-story project me and Vince are developing in the Twilight Empires universe that is slowly but surely making progress. The game also spurred me back into re-researching nanotechnologies from my sci-fi library of books and games.

Full Metal Alchemist is a pretty cool game based on the anime of the same name. You control titular character Edward Elric and be involved in a unique storyline that is set outside of the main storyline in the TV series. The cool aspect of this game is the alchemical transmutations you can do to fashion defenses, weapons for Edward and his brother Alphonse and other items to use. This alchemical transmutation aspect revived my interest as well with matter manipulation and mechanism manipulating characters as well.

Quite a good haul from the weekend I'd say. Of to the task at hand in living the life. Next time.

Writing thoughts out along the way

Another thoughtdump of an entry given how call center life is really just centered around commuting to work, sleeping before work, preparing workstation for work, work, going home, eating, sleeping, eating and then repeat. Very little time in between for anything else on account of having to deal with performance metrics, account policies, the routine round of questions, whining and threats that go through 8 to 10 hours of calls a call center rep goes through. Makes me wonder how come I'm still alive.

As to post-work entertainment, DVD watching and PS2 games are available. TV watching have been much reduced since not too many shows are updated currently with new seasons.

I have noticed that most bookstore inventories display are leaning a lot more to fantasy as opposed to sci-fi as I have started to get jaded with after my return from the US in 2002. I mean is sci-fi reading and book selection on the downslide until the latest and final Star Wars prequel installment show on the silver screen?!No wonder locally made romance novels and a horde of Magic: The Gathering novels and other fantasy sundries populate the shelf. Sci-Fi has just winnowed out to just a number of Star Trek and Star Wars titles that had to compete with the likes of Lord of The Rings after the movie was shown. Sci-Fi and its relative Space Fantasy are pretty much relegated to locally produced manga stories which are more catered to the hardware/technology aspect of the genre.

Its like it'll take a few more chronal units for me to accumulate enough base material for a lesser version of the silver bullet be used for any creative writing in the near future.

I'll try to keep posting mentionable items of note as I eke out this existence.