Why oh why do some people cross the pedestrian lane even though the traffic light is green? I just can’t find the logic! Is 30 secs to a minute that important to risk it all? Accidents happen not because of ‘fate’ but because of some ‘idiots’. Maybe we should all give the ‘idiots’ the Darwin Award. And oh pardon me, I’m almost late, you see I’m blogging this while I’m crossing the streeeeeeeeeeeeeeeet….. *screetch* *nooooo* *blag* *kapow* *smack* *kaboom* *arggggg*

Why do people misspell my simple name John to Jhon? Always! Everytime I would order a cup of coffee at Starbucks, or whenever I would go to the local laundry shop, or I’m dining [sic] in a fastfood they always never fail to write my name in ORs as Sir Jhon. And here I thought we are a big Christian nation! Ever seen the name of Saint John the Beloved misspelled as Saint Jhon? Or Saint John the Baptist as Saint Jhon the Baptist? I bet you haven’t! Pronouncing John is ja-han, not jay-hon! Next time I’ll be telling everyone that my name is Peter and I’m expecting they will write it down as Fighter.

Jeez, just finished watching the Bb. Pilipinas Pageant Q&A portion and wow, the whole TXT generation is really coming back to haunt us. Watch it here. I am not good in English, but damn those things were taught in elementary! And don’t f****ng tell me to let them answer in Tagalog because we are in the Philippines, the mere fact that she is a college masscomm student, MASS COMMUNICATION for pete’s sake!, in one of the top universities in the country that should be an indicator that she is [sic] at least fluent. With so many blunders, nothing against her, but why did she win again?!?

Excerpt from the Q&A:

Q: What role did your family play to you as candidate to Binibining Pilipinas?

A: Well… my family’s role for me is so important because there was the wa- they’re they was the one who’s very… Haha… Oh I’m so sorry… Ahhmm… My pamily… My family… Oh my god… I’m… Ok… I’m so sorry… I… I told you that I’m so confident… Eto… Ahhmm… Wait… Hahahaha… Ahmmm… Sorry guys because this was really my pirst pageant ever because I’m only 17 years old and haha I… I did not expect that I came from… I came from one of the tough 10. Uhmmm… so… but I said that my family is the most important persons in my life. Thank you.

On the side note, I want to kill myself because I didn’t watch the Incubus concert. F******!

Are you? Do you do these…

1. Play PSP <or insert favorite portable gaming system> while walking along with your friends on a MALL!

2. Listen to your iPod <or insert favorite portable music gadget> doing headbangs, singing loudly, and turning the volume to skyhigh with that white earbuds fully knowing that it’s a shitty earbud, just so others will say, omg! he has the ipods!

3. Having very loud ring or message tone? Just so others can recognize your spanking brand new cellphone err smartphone err iPhone err everything but the kitchen sink gadget?

4. Wear a brand new shoes and always - for the love of God - pretend that it is from your brother? Or you just brushed it over the weekend to look slick?

5. Open up your car windows and pretend your music is the coolest shit there is?

6. Walk along a corridor, smiling, while embracing your gf/bf and waiting for someone to say, "oh is that the one?" and proudly saying, yes pare this is MY gf/bf! Wow, what a beautiful trophy! 

7. Posts in multiply, friendster, myspace, facebook, flickr all the cool places that you have been with the following caption - "conquered <place> next stop <place>" 

8. Talks about "cool" movies, "cool" books and "cool" music that you alone have heard, well some of your friends.

If you do then congratulations! You are a freaking show off - just like me and everyone else. We all are guilty of some if not all of these things one way or another. As a human being, hell as a Filipino we want others to recognize us not by who we are - well others will debate on that - but by the persons, things and places we associate ourselves with. And for as long as we live we will always be show off. Always. Whether that’s a good thing or not, depends on the crowd we are trying to please.

For non-nihonggo speakers (that includes me, oh the irony!) it means ‘long time no see’ and yes it’s been a very long time since I last blogged. Many things that connived to stop me (temporarily) from blogging.

1. Smartbro acted quite funny for a week. Seems like a little movement of the antenna causes significant drop in internet access. I learned it the hardway. Someone hardwired his Smartbro antenna on top of my antenna and accidentally mis-aligned my poor antenna from Smart’s base station and we thought Smartbro was the problem (whew!).

2. My poor hard disk drive died on me (RIP). Two weeks ago my trusty information ‘holder’ stopped working and frankly I panicked because all my data, I mean all, was in there and it just died, I could not even access it with my again trusty Ubuntu Live CD.

3. Busy at work. Times have changed. I could no longer browse Digg at the office and not because it was block but because I could not put surfing in my time record (grins).

4. LBM. Yes. I had that for four days and the friggin* doctor wanted me to undergo ‘labatiba’, endoscopy and colonoscopy. Well fortunately he checked my stomach (tummy) and diagnosed that I have plenty of air inside. F*** kabag lang pala at dinaan pa ako sa takot.

But here I am alive and well again. 

Well just got back from Davao City and I was shocked to find out that the terminal fee at Davao International Airport just went up from a meager PHP 40 to PHP 200! Wow! I thought - well ok - since we have a better terminal compared to Manila Domestic Airport, understandable, but when I tried to hook up to their wifi, there is no more free internet access. What happened? It used to be that Smart offered free wifi access at the terminal and now it’s gone. I was hoping the super price increase will benefit all. I was really hoping.

Woohoo! Having a blast so far in Davao City, nothing beats home. But before anything else I’ll ramble some rant. Just before I paid the entrance fee in Manila Domestic Airport a guy, with his best chum (I hope), just sidestepped me and immediately paid their tickets. They were supposed to be behind me but a guard (unfortunately) recognized them and gave them priority. I thought at first that maybe they were acquaintances but when I tried to look at the person - tada - he is a local politician in Davao City. Such a shame sir! And you want us to vote for you for a much higher position, well FU. And what’s worst was that you didn’t just said, ’sensya ha’ you just stood there and mind you own little business of cheating a simple ‘fall in line’ command.

On another note, barangay election is coming up and surprise surprise according to a neighbor, only rich people now can run for public office, wow, even in a barangay level the stakes are high, so high that even barangay officials wanna-be are giving PHP 100 to potential ’suckers’ or at least in Makati. Oh well. Election time is really here.

I almost had a WTF day and WTF vacation. Late in the afternoon I went to Landmark to look for an ATM and lo and behold there she was on the ground floor. I inserted my card, check for the current balance, and then withdraw some hefty money (ok I’m lying) and then the unthinkable happened. The whole damn thing stopped responding and my card was still inside the freaking machine. I reminded myself that patience is a virtue but it has been 5 minutes already and that thing was stuck. I immediately went to the customer service and reported the whole shebang. And what did they offer? The trunkline of the bank. Great just great. After that I went back to the ATM only to find out that my card was gone, WTF, is this some kind of a gag show? Good thing a stranger told me that a guy went to the customer service center to drop my card and thankfully my card was there! I almost fainted on that one, and oh no money was dispensed, and that thing just stop responding. WTH.

Last Friday night, Chester invited me for a night out. I was hesitant at first because the place is in QC which WTF a million miles away from Makati. But I still went along because I was in Trinoma that time. Earlier that evening, I had dinner with Rheena and Shelie, err call that a despidida for Rheena (she will be working in Singapore) and destressing activity for Shelie (she hasn’t slept for 3 days because of her masteral). So after dinner we went to Starbucks to -obviously- drink beers, err coffee and tea. There I met up with Chester. After, we went to Guillys Island which is right besides ABS-CBN building. It was my first time there, it was actually a nice place, reminiscent of the Embassy bar, and the music was cool too, a lot of house and lots of R&Beh midway. After a drink or two or three or four or hell I forgot to count, we decided to dropped by Barrakz to have one last drink for the road. Ironic as it may seems but it will be our last drink at that fateful place. You see, Chester parked his car right besides the establishment, and after that one last drinking spree, we found out that one of tires were deflated and teared. Like WTF! No single guard ever noticed it happened. Good thing a gas station was nearby and we temporarily fixed it, and off we go. When we were almost halfway from his place the tire simply gave up, it was like a scene straight from the movies only this time we weren’t chased by either cops or hoodlums. Everyone in the street was looking at the car and some were concerned while others were laughing, hell, we didn’t even have a choice that time, we can stop and let the car be towed but that would be a HUGE hassle so Chester decided to let it ‘crawl’ up to the vulcanizing shop. Fortunately the tire wasn’t completely busted when we arrived there or else that would be another HUGE problem. Imagine driving around EDSA with a busted tire and screeching mag! Whooah (in Keanu Reeves style). Anyway, after that I rode a taxi and went home, but just before I called out one I step on this HUGE dog poopoo. Like ecky thump! Did we just opened a pandora of misfortunes?

This is a WTF question I have been asking lately. Ever since that incident that transpired at National Bookstore in Davao City during my -ugly- years, this question has been bugging my mind. You see when I was in high school, just before someone really loved me, my hair was semi-afro, with a moustache and goatie to boot, and let’s throw the very brown skincolor in the mix and just picture how messy and fugly I looked like. Picture it already? -This was btw around 1999- Ok let’s keep moving. And so I went inside National Bookstore just to look at magazines and then proceeded towards the exit door. Just right before I am about to go out, a security guard approached me, stopped me and began body searching me. Like WTF, I told myself. Do I look like a snatcher? Look mr guard, don’t you recognize my high school uniform! I am from Ateneo for pete’s sake. Well that didn’t bother mr guard and after a minute or two I was set free. That began a long hatred for the famous bookstore. Geez.

Then today, I rode a jeepney going home. I was seated right beside a guy. When I was about to put the coins in my pocket, this guy immediately grabbed his pocket to check his belongings. Like WTF mate, I know I am ugly, but you are darker than me and fuglier than me! Why in heaven’s name would I be interested in your things, I said to myself. So in retaliation, I looked at him and threw out a sarcastic smile and moved. I hope he got the message. But I was thinking, is it the constant paranoia that people always check their belongings while in the jeepney or is it just the way I look like?

This is both a curse and a blessing. Blessing because potential snatchers might think I am one of their comrade and curse because ladies and guys alike tend to be wary of me. Either way I will choose the former, but I am afraid that one day I will be the fall-out guy (fall guy, my bad).