crisn

Auto Financing, Anyone?

One of the benefits of killing time is that I get to sit in front of my PC, stare blankly at the glowing CRT and instinctively place both of my hands on the keyboard’s home keys. This is also one of those times when I dream I have my own treadmill and gym set which could be a healthier way to pass time. So while I’m not there yet, I let my typing fingers do the walking for now.

Just a few weeks ago while unconsciously surfing the net like a “career zombie” trying to find a plan B after our company pulls out of its Philippine operation, I chanced upon a sticky thread on one of my favorite automotive hangout. The thread’s title is “…is looking for new talent.” That intrigued me. I can drive, I can do two-point reverse maneuver, I can blindly pass through Daang Hari at night and I can grab the hand brakes while my wife does a sharp turn that feels like 80 kph. So what could be better than these?

I clicked to read on.

To my disappointment they’re not looking for dummy drivers. They’re looking for someone who can do automotive journalism—still some dummy of sort. And so I thought that while I still haven’t seen my career plan B yet, I might as well make this one my plan C. I sent a private message to one of the administrators.

Unfortunately, I received no acknowledgment since then. I actually returned to the thread to check if my foolish mind failed to see the exact date when it was posted. It was just recently. Damn.

Today, however, while checking my emails after graveyard duty, I saw one from the car forum. My mind woke up in an instant and once again I fantasized being inside a brand new Toyota Camry to do a review, inhaling deeply and sucking all the new car scent it could offer, fiddling nervously with its keys while contemplating on what it could offer as it zoom past Cavite’s potholed highway to test its wide wheelbase and torture its suspension. But reality sets in just as soon as it has left me.

A line on the email says, “Can you do an article on auto financing? Make an outline first, then we’ll start from there.” He must be kidding, his reply confused me. Thank heavens, Yahoo! came in handy. I checked what the blog world has to offer regarding auto financing and I didn’t fully expect what I found because the search tags are similar to where I’m at right now—in debt, needs financing.

And in my current state, if I were to write about auto financing, I would have some of these catchy copies:

“Just got promoted? Reward yourself with a brand new car!”

“Is your company’s inventory piling up? Is your company getting less attention? Did the CEO just recently focus investments to Vietnam? Is your stock price in a plateau state? If you answered yes to all, screw it, grab a lovely car!”

“Best deals in town are all over. From 5% off, all-in offers, 3 years + 1 warranty, etc. So if you have a proof of availability, and (a pause and drum rolls are highly recommended at this point) a severance package, now is the chance to own a brand new car!”

Wait, did I mention what my career plan A is? Well, it’s to bum around for months while looking for plan B to Z. Ti abi.

Gone Fishing

Two years ago my wife bought me a Shimano fishing rod and reel for my birthday. Thanks to my friend Mike who influenced and got me somewhat hooked on this hobby. For some reason, however, there was a long gap after I acquired my own set. But this year seems the season again.

The biggest floating hut in the resort.

Fishing hut

So finally I was out fishing once more. My fourth this year at the same place in succession. The timing have been on my favor after Mike resigned from our company which allowed him to adapt to my day-offs and set our fishing trips.

Catch of the day.

Time to eat what we caught.

Just 10 kilometers away from home is a fishing venue called Fishers’ Farm Resort which is also a quite decent place for an outing event in the heart of Dasmariñas, Cavite. The resort offers swimming, horseback riding, and of course, fishing. Although, we’ve had days when fishes don’t seem to take the bait, we still prefer hanging out here as foods and drinks bought outside are allowed. Fees are very affordable as well.

Today we’ve got all the reasons to go fishing: Roman came back from Canada for a couple of weeks vacation, Mike will be leaving for the US sometime next month, Manny’s birthday tomorrow; and lastly, Manny, Jhun and I are just taking time to relax and clear our heads from the looming closure of our company.

the fishing gang — Disclaimer: None of the fish were shot using the airsoft rifle.

***

My uncle who’s also into fishing passed away this week. Other than the fact that I was saddened by his sudden death, I was also shocked as I’ve been considering going back to his place sometime this year for a change of fishing experience: on a bangka and in the middle of the sea.

His death made me think that we are like fishes in the sea while God is the fisherman. Only he knows when he’ll take us while we spend our time wiggling our tails and fins while clueless of the bait. It takes just a snap and we’re gone, hanging by the hook, twitching helplessly in resistance and then facing the inevitable death. Sometimes he may have to catch and release though if he sees we are not yet fit to be taken–that’s being given the second chance.

***

The day will come when I’ll be fishing for jobs. I’m crossing my fingers that when the time comes for me to cast the bait, some employer will find it alluring to catch it. And hopefully, I’ll be fit and quick enough to reel it in.

Lost in La Luz

It’s been years since we’ve savored sea, sand and sun. The last one we had was in 2006 when I tagged along with wifey being one of the top employees of the year who were treated for free in Boracay. It would be one of the worthy memories with our company. So on April 2, April Fools ’ Day in the US, we embarked on a road trip to see the beach once more.

It was a trip full of mixed emotions. We looked forward to fun and excitement in spite of the impending uncertainty and anxiety. The trip would be our farthest down south but it was fun as we passed along good roads and scenic views. We located La Luz beach with ease, thanks to the directions I printed from the internet. The last 4-kilometer stretch was a challenge due to the rough and dusty road with a couple of hill climbs as a finale to our destination.

old house — Creepy but interesting structure.

last stretch — Testing the car’s off-road capability.

We learned that the resort is already fully booked so we decided to settle in one of the local’s rental place–a nipa hut managed by Aling Ely—instead of going back to find another resort. Besides, I’ve been curious what if feels like to sleep, even just overnight, in one of those rooms.

As soon as we got settled, sad news came. In that small room is where we learned thru SMS from a colleague that the long standing rumor is now confirmed. The company’s top bosses flew in from the US that same day and have already told the news to all Cavite employees that the company is pulling the manufacturing operations out of the country in 6-9 months. An April Fools’ day joke? A thousand Filipino employees for sure wished it was, but unfortunately, it was not.

Setting the expected news aside and having had my mandatory siesta, we checked the beach. No big deal, we’re just going to be unemployed. The weather that afternoon appeared just as confused as we were. It rained hard but it quickly dissipated. The sun beams came out of the dark gray clouds after a brief but heavy rainfall.

La Luz’s shoreline.

Wifey taking a dip.

The beach at that time was rather serene which I find unusual given the fact that it’s summer. The water was fairly clear yet the waves tend to be strong. Some portions underwater are also uneven and may surprise anyone unfamiliar with the area. And one thing I can’t help but notice was that sand all over the place is quite loose. Must be where the name La Luz was derived – from being La Loose. Ti abi. A few meters of treading on the loose sand (or pebbles) drained most of my energy. With every step we took,my stomach protested. Hunger eventually sets in.

Looking for food was also unexpectedly hard. Other than failing again to get reservations in La Luz’s dining, the surrounding area itself is scarce of bars or restaurants. Although there were some kainan or carinderia, the choice of food that you expect to eat while at the beach were not available. I find it ironic that we had a difficult time finding fresh inihaw na isda (grilled fish). Thankfully, after crisscrossing and thoroughly combing the nearby area like two hungry stray cats, one resort’s bar accommodated us as walk-in customers—believe or not we’re the only customers at that time so that could have left them no choice. Weird.

Night time was more quiet. With my San Mig lights beer from Taramandu bar, my wife and I settled in one of the cabanas with the dim incandescent light coming from the distant posts as the only illumination. It was a perfect time to talk about lots of things—our job, for one. It was also a perfect time to do some star gazing which as far I can recall I haven’t done for years without the distraction of honking cars, TV shows, noisy neighbors and interference coming from the street lamp post. The beach that night was almost pitch black. The only star that night, well, are the stars.

We went home the next day after sleeping over at the nipa hut. I had a very good sleep that night even with just having only an electric fan for ventilation. The native materials from roof (nipa) to flooring (bamboo) allowed good ventilation. It was a change from the usual air-conditioned rooms we’re used to when we travel. Except for the toilet where my wife discovered some friends from Joe’s Apartment (go figure), the overnight stay at Aling Ely’s place was worth the price (Php 1.2K) and the experience.

The Yoyo and One Vantage Point

Every now and then, I would always remember one of the emails I received regarding man having just two choices the moment he wakes up and starts his day. So as this week seems to be a week of confusion, fun, adventure, fun—or in short, just confusion, I had to deal with these two choices: is it going to be a good or a bad day? So on April fool’s day, despite already having a hint of the things that may happen within the week, my wife and I refused to let it go down on us. We chose to be happy.

At lunch time we decided to eat at Brazilian Bbq restaurant in ATC which is fairly new in the area. The place is just at the back of the former Saisaki restaurant and its small space gives a homey feel to it. I think it can only accommodate approximately 50 customers at a time—less elbows to rub, less buffet rivals, more chance to pick and savor the food. Don’t be deceived by its size though as this restaurant packs a variety of good food, mostly grilled. I don’t know who conceptualized it, but this place gives yoyo diet a new definition.

Other than the plates, spoons and forks, and condiments, the waiter also places a yoyo on the table. To a newcomer, this may come as surprise as to what its purpose may be. The yoyo is colored green on one side and red on the other. Laying the toy with green on top means a waiter will come to your table with random grilled food still at its rotisserie stake although you may ask whatever food you preferred. They’ll be coming right back until you’ve turned the yoyo over with its red side on top. It just occurred to me that this is a good way to keep the customers from saying “stop” while their mouth is “stuffed”. Wise idea.

As we normally do, we checked out the movies after the hearty meal. And as much as I’m longing to watch an animated film, Horton. I quickly erased the thought of it as the grilled meat made me look for something adrenalin-packed. So we transferred to the nearby Festival Mall and without any doubt I saw what I’m looking for—Vantage Point.

The first 30 minutes of the movie will make one think of seeing a crappy film. The scenes keep on coming back at 11:59:59 AM. Back and forth, back and forth. It drags. Sooner though, the plot continues to become clearer and interesting and that is when the movie reveals what 8 strangers, 8 stories, 1 vantage point mean. The car chase scenes are almost at par with that of Ronin. Other that the obvious Hollywood flaws like the almost preserved clean state of some of the characters amidst the bomb blast and car crashes this movie has a cast who renders convincingly great acting. Two thumbs up.

***

Ship is Sinking II

Working for a multinational company which most people and employees consider as one of the most stable work places in the country then, I can’t help but compare it now to the Titanic. The day it was built and the very day of its maiden voyage, the Titanic was flaunted and described by its engineers and owners as the biggest and as the unsinkable ship. But they soon found out that it wasn’t meant to be. And so are we.

While I’m not about to dwell on what isn’t clear at this moment yet, I’ve been thinking what if we are all in that gigantic ship when it struck the iceberg. What type of passenger or crew would we be?

Are we the night watch crew who trembled in fear when we realized that we missed informing the bridge of the huge iceberg because we’re so busy watching Jack and Rose making out in the cold?

Are we the economy class passengers who remained clueless of what is going outside because we are located at the ships lower deck?

Are we one of the crews who readily handed out life jackets by prioritizing those in the business class and give the remainder to those in economy?

Are we the ones who surrendered our fate and preferred staying with our kids and love ones until the very end?

Are we the captain who tried to shrug off the crash like it was just a bad dream and later on decided to go down with the ship instead?

Are we the crew who in an attempt to control the passengers from stampede accidentally shot one of them and out of desperation and regret turned the gun on himself?

Are we the lucky ones who got hold of the life boats and turned a blind eye to those hopelessly trying to survive in the frigid waters?

Or are we the band that played on so as to make our very best to entertain those who might have shut their mind to the imminent reality?

In our part, I can’t directly relate to the above mentioned characters but if James Cameron could have had a camera zoom more on the people running

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around, we’d be seen just plainly walking around the ship’s deck, taking our time to enjoy the wonderful cold night sky and entering some of the food halls and ordering the most expensive food available (while wondering why the waiters seem pale). We may even be seen inside the car where Jack and Rose were before the tragedy. Hehe.

Tomorrow is D-day. But once again, Que sera sera.

Earth Hour 2008

I have just participated in the Earth Hour. From 8-9 PM our house was in total darkness with only the light from the street post beaming through the window. I was hesitant at first to turn the TV off as I was watching the show Shocking Video: Deadly Force (it always fascinates me to see cops emptying their guns on hooligans but that’s another story) but good thing it ended at exactly 8 PM. Seriously, I’d end watching it, finished or not finished just to do my share.

Since my wife was out, I was left out alone and was thinking what to do outside while killing time. So I tried sending an SMS to some of my friends reminding them to observe the lights out activity. Out of the 20 plus contacts five actually replied that they too have their lights off. Great. At least I’m not the only person looking up to the heavens and trying to appreciate its natural beauty (haven’t done that for a long time). I think I’m the only person in our neighborhood who observed Earth Hour 2008 so I find it nice to know that somewhere out there are some of my friends doing the same thing. I now wonder how many joined and how much energy was saved.

Wanted: Dodge Viper Photos

(originally written for my multiply.com blog)

Calling all my multiply.com contacts. If anyone of you is planning to drop by Ayala Town Center for whatever reason this weekend, I’ll be very glad if you can bring along your lovely cameras and take photos of my favorite Dodge Viper.

After watching Step Up 2 last night with my wife and while still high with the hip-hop beats and controlling myself to do my shameful mimicry of the B-Boys steps on our way to the parking lot, we saw some activity at the fountain area. The commotion gave me the feeling that something special is going to be on top of the constructed metal frames. I was right. Just outside was a beat up lorry with a shiny red or maroon (can’t get exact color as it was dimly lit outside) Dodge Viper waiting to be unloaded. I almost dropped to my knees when I saw it but the only thing that prevented me from doing so is the 1st commandment . (Hey, it’s Lenten season and hopefully you know what it is.)

I can imagine right now the throng of Viper fans or just curious crowds it has attracted since the mall opened today. And most probably, any local celebrity in that area would be over-shadowed by this car’s presence. They may even just be contented enough to get near it and most likely dream that they have the money to own one – just like I always do.

So this week, I’m expecting photos of it coming from my multiply contacts. And whoever posts the first picture will have my respect. Hahaha.

Good luck! I’ll wait for it.

The Rock Star in Me

“…Well we all just wanna be big rockstars And live in hilltop houses driving fifteen cars…” – Nickelback, Rockstar

“…Under the big top world We all need the clowns To make us smile…” – Journey, Faithfully

Other than being Pilots, some boys for sure dreamed of being Rock Stars. It has something to do with being free, being able to get that high. I know most teenagers would discover it in no time if you know what I mean.

Of course, most kids have also heard of fairy tales, whether they admit it or not. These fairy tales they would sooner or later discover as what enlightened adults call fiction. In short, it is not true. Does not and will not happen. For some, however, fiction could become reality. They would become Rock Stars.

For Arnel Pineda, this is exactly the case. He is the Filipino equivalent of the character Chris Cole (Mark Wahlberg) in the movie Rock Star. If you check the film bit by bit, the resemblance of his and Arnel’s story is almost the same:

Chris Cole was discovered by Steel Dragon’s guitarist thru a tape recorded performance of his cover band, Blood Arnel Pineda was discovered by Journey’s Neal Schon thru a YouTube.com video of his band Zoo while performing the song Faithfully.
Chris Cole was contacted by a band member and dismissed the first phone call as a hoax and Arnel Pineda reacted just the same.
Both characters eventually became lead vocalist of the band they just used to idolize and copy after being invited (and flown in) for an audition and passed.

Watching Arnel’s cover of Faithfully that was shot in Hard Rock Café and uploaded on YouTube sends goosebumps as I’d always remember the scene from Rock Star when Chris Cole did his cover of Stand Up. Both stories are must-know of any Rock Star wannabee.

So tomorrow if anyone by chance sees a bald driver doing air guitars and some passionate head bangs while stuck in traffic, most likely that would be me.

Let’s Kill

Watching the movie Untraceable just a couple of days ago made me realize that my blog site’s title may appear threatening to potential visitors. The words killing time may be taken as a pun of some sort. I could have had visitors ranging from innocent bloggers to eager killers or disturbed individuals who get their high by watching someone die, live via the internet. Morbidly, Untraceable depicts such characters.

The villain in the movie is portrayed as a young man who maintains a site named KillWithMe which is basically a YouTube.com from hell. For the first time I seem to make connection to the disclaimer at the end of every movie: …any similarity…is purely coincidental. So just to make things clear, that’s not me, not inspired by my blog site, folks. FYI.

I don’t know but I picked the blog title Kill Time out of thin air during my registration on blogger.com. It is just because I relate blogging as a good way to kill time–no pun intended whatsoever. Promise. Hehe. (Play Psycho theme here).

Since I’m into giving some sort of very brief review for this movie, I’ll finish it off with my rating. I rate this movie 4 out of 5 stars. It has the scary factor of Disturbia, but with the oldie yet goodie Diane Lane this time in the basement. Needless to say this gives me another reason not to think of living in a typical American home at least for now.

Anyone wants to kill with me? Please just do blog. No more, no less (Psycho music keeps on playing in the background). Visit Killtimedoblog.blogspot.com. I swear I killed time with it and murdered some English (again, no pun intended) in the process.

(This reminds me of a friend who loves to say Kill All Violence, the most ironic and funny statement I’ve heard next to Alf ’s “I Kill Me.” Ti abi.)

My Love-Hate Relationship with the Videoke

In my list of my most hated things, the videoke would be there. I would wonder every now and then if there was a necessity for it to be invented but since it’s already in existence I have tried my best to deal with it.

The videoke is like the eye. It’s the window to one’s self. I’ve discovered a liking to some people when I hear them sing—my wife can decently sing any of The Coors song. But along with the appreciation of others singing the lines—appearing as foreground to mostly naked women gyrating on the background—is the loathing that I feel once off-keyed people start singing their favorite piece.

I’ve almost despised friends when I learned that they’re into videokes. Just this December while on vacation I had a drinking session with my high school best friend and I almost scrambled out of the neighborhood bar when I saw him checking out the song list. Trying to be game and giving him the benefit of the doubt I anxiously waited while the waitress punches in the magic numbers. A canned drum roll followed.

He selected U2‘s Sunday Bloody Sunday. I secretly glanced at my friend just to give a quick check if he’s somewhat similar to Bono. Hmmm. Obviously not. The song’s intro finally signaled the start of the song. Then it happened. I almost cursed in protest and thought if my friend could be sued by U2 for performing their song in a public place not to mention the bad rendition. It wasn’t Sunday, but I’m sure it was Bloody–as the Brits would say. I’m sure I was drunk that time but the alcohol didn’t work to a favorable opinion.

Now I’m being hounded again by the presence of this singing machine. Just outside and in front of our house is a party in progress. And the magic box with TV monitor, round colored keys and 15-inch speakers was just delivered. We’re in for a long night. My only hope right now is that no drunken male visitor would sing a Celine Dion song while we’re trying to sleep tonight. That is if we can achieve sleep. Whoever invented this machine, I hope you’re in the “hottest” place right now.

By the way, possessed by the spirit of alcohol, I also sang a couple of songs on videoke before and my faves are The Righteous Brothers’ You’ve Lost that Lovin’ Feeling and 500 by the Proclaimers. Well, sometimes the good guys take revenge.

***