I think we may have finally finished the (insert pejorative word here) Gazzete.
One book of it, anyway. (There’s still four more to go.)
We are giving it a last check today. Hopefully, no more mistakes will be found.
We have to hand it this very day so it gets printed, and we hope to have it ready by mid morning.
If we get to pull this off, the town will definitely get painted red tonight.
Friday, July 30, 2004
Don't think so!
I don't know if I've said this before, but I've been thinking about telling friends and family about my blong... I mean, blog.
The logic behind this idea is that by showing everybody my writings, they'll understand me better, and love me more. On the other hand, they may not like what I’ve written about them so far, or they may not like being written about whatsoever. They may also start wondering, “Will this creep be writing about THIS on his blog?? And what about THAT? Will he write about it too??
Again, maybe noting will happen at all.
But have I the guts to chance it??
The logic behind this idea is that by showing everybody my writings, they'll understand me better, and love me more. On the other hand, they may not like what I’ve written about them so far, or they may not like being written about whatsoever. They may also start wondering, “Will this creep be writing about THIS on his blog?? And what about THAT? Will he write about it too??
Again, maybe noting will happen at all.
But have I the guts to chance it??
It's official: it sucks even more!
One of the few perks available at Lexcorp was the email:
It was pretty damn cool. I could send drawings, and pictures, and lots of stuff. I used it to keep in touch with friends and family.
No more.
Effective this past Monday, you can only send Word, Excel or PDF files. And all mail gets screened so every word is work-related. Any infractions may result in sanctions or outright dismissal.
This means there’ll be no more updating this blog from work.
Not that Lexcorp was Paradise to begin with, but dammit, now it REALLY blows.
- No inbox limit
- Mails could be up to 8 megs in size
- You could attach any kind of file (except *.EXE)
It was pretty damn cool. I could send drawings, and pictures, and lots of stuff. I used it to keep in touch with friends and family.
No more.
Effective this past Monday, you can only send Word, Excel or PDF files. And all mail gets screened so every word is work-related. Any infractions may result in sanctions or outright dismissal.
This means there’ll be no more updating this blog from work.
Not that Lexcorp was Paradise to begin with, but dammit, now it REALLY blows.
Wednesday, July 28, 2004
An evening with Fido
As part of the massive global re-launching of Fido Dido as 7UP’s spokeperson, there was this contest called Draw Your Inner Fido. Contestants were supposed to come up with some ‘Fido-sophy’ of their own and draw Fido acting it out.
In case you didn’t know, Fido-sophy is a term coined by the 7UP Company, and it basically refers to some superficial, non-compromising, quick-fix, clichéd way of living life, like:
The contest seemed easy enough, so I decided to give it a try.
I must say, the drawing was the easy part. Coming up with some sufficiently simplistic, thoroughly bland bit of doctrine was tougher. Took me hours. I ended up with ‘Live life at your own beat’. Not so bad, huh?
So I handed out my work and the wait started. Then, on the day of the awards, I get this call at work. It’s the Fido Contest people and they tell me I am amongst the 10 finalists. SWEET!!
I arrived at the place with my parents and my girlfriend on tow. The award ceremony was held at a place called ‘Fido’s Place’, and it’s a third-floor loft splattered with Fido stuff all over. There’s Fido murals, Fido floor motifs, there’s even a Fido statue, life-size. And of course, all the contestants’ work was displayed in big panels.
I wanted to take pictures of everything, but my camera was at the shop. Unfortunately, it remains true that if I ever neglect to bring a camera, nobody else brings one. And so, no photos were taken on my behalf, which made the photomaniac in me very upset. My only hope are the news photographers that were fluttering all over.
I check out the rest of the contest entries. Some are really bad, but some are REALLY good. I’m a nervous wreck.
The event starts about fifty minutes late. We have been some free 7UP, but no amount of soda can make you forget the fact that you’ve been waiting in line for about an hour.
As expected, the whole ceremony is a big 7UP commercial: people from the advertising company step up, and show us some TV ads. The they proceed to talk about Fido, about how he started, what his personality is like, etc, etc. At one moment, they bring out Fido’s creator, Johanna Ferrone. She tells us how thrilled she is that Fido got picked up again as the 7UP spokesperson. “Fido and I have been together for 20 years”, she said. “That’s the longest relationship I’ve ever had.” She’s funny and sweet, but she is grossly mistranslated. Those of us who speak English can only quiver at the things Ferrone’s interpreter is saying.
Finally, the awards are given out. They begin with the Honorable Mentions. They call out a couple of guys, then me. Although deeply disappointed, I put up a brave face and step up. They give a fantabulous piece of cardboard with my name scribbled on it. And Johanna Ferrone says some vague kind words about my drawing. She’s so nice, she can’t be a real New Yorker. No way.
I was feeling kinda OK at this point. I hadn’t won, but at least I had beat about 50 competitors. My folks and my girl are proud of me. Then... they call the next Honorable Mention winner. It’s an 8-year-old kid!!! Apparently, the jurors were impressed by the fact that someone so young would want to participate. Plus, he wrote a very moving letter declaring his love of Fido. That’s all fine and good, but what this means is that I’m drawing at third grade level!! At least I don’t eat my crayons anymore. Not so much, anyway.
A while later, the other awards are called out. These are the big guns: they get cash prizes and their designs get slapped on billboards and bus-stop signs. And the ceremony is over. We are cordially invited to vacate the premises.
It’s a big pill to swallow, pride. You see, I was so sure I had a chance at third place... I had even spent all the award money in my head! Thankfully, my girlfriend was there to hug me tight, give me a big kiss and nurse my wounded ego back to health.
In case you didn’t know, Fido-sophy is a term coined by the 7UP Company, and it basically refers to some superficial, non-compromising, quick-fix, clichéd way of living life, like:
- It’s cool to be yourself
- Normal is boring
- You are who you are and who you are is OK.
- Dare to be different
- Life is short, live it.
The contest seemed easy enough, so I decided to give it a try.
I must say, the drawing was the easy part. Coming up with some sufficiently simplistic, thoroughly bland bit of doctrine was tougher. Took me hours. I ended up with ‘Live life at your own beat’. Not so bad, huh?
So I handed out my work and the wait started. Then, on the day of the awards, I get this call at work. It’s the Fido Contest people and they tell me I am amongst the 10 finalists. SWEET!!
I arrived at the place with my parents and my girlfriend on tow. The award ceremony was held at a place called ‘Fido’s Place’, and it’s a third-floor loft splattered with Fido stuff all over. There’s Fido murals, Fido floor motifs, there’s even a Fido statue, life-size. And of course, all the contestants’ work was displayed in big panels.
I wanted to take pictures of everything, but my camera was at the shop. Unfortunately, it remains true that if I ever neglect to bring a camera, nobody else brings one. And so, no photos were taken on my behalf, which made the photomaniac in me very upset. My only hope are the news photographers that were fluttering all over.
I check out the rest of the contest entries. Some are really bad, but some are REALLY good. I’m a nervous wreck.
The event starts about fifty minutes late. We have been some free 7UP, but no amount of soda can make you forget the fact that you’ve been waiting in line for about an hour.
As expected, the whole ceremony is a big 7UP commercial: people from the advertising company step up, and show us some TV ads. The they proceed to talk about Fido, about how he started, what his personality is like, etc, etc. At one moment, they bring out Fido’s creator, Johanna Ferrone. She tells us how thrilled she is that Fido got picked up again as the 7UP spokesperson. “Fido and I have been together for 20 years”, she said. “That’s the longest relationship I’ve ever had.” She’s funny and sweet, but she is grossly mistranslated. Those of us who speak English can only quiver at the things Ferrone’s interpreter is saying.
Finally, the awards are given out. They begin with the Honorable Mentions. They call out a couple of guys, then me. Although deeply disappointed, I put up a brave face and step up. They give a fantabulous piece of cardboard with my name scribbled on it. And Johanna Ferrone says some vague kind words about my drawing. She’s so nice, she can’t be a real New Yorker. No way.
I was feeling kinda OK at this point. I hadn’t won, but at least I had beat about 50 competitors. My folks and my girl are proud of me. Then... they call the next Honorable Mention winner. It’s an 8-year-old kid!!! Apparently, the jurors were impressed by the fact that someone so young would want to participate. Plus, he wrote a very moving letter declaring his love of Fido. That’s all fine and good, but what this means is that I’m drawing at third grade level!! At least I don’t eat my crayons anymore. Not so much, anyway.
A while later, the other awards are called out. These are the big guns: they get cash prizes and their designs get slapped on billboards and bus-stop signs. And the ceremony is over. We are cordially invited to vacate the premises.
It’s a big pill to swallow, pride. You see, I was so sure I had a chance at third place... I had even spent all the award money in my head! Thankfully, my girlfriend was there to hug me tight, give me a big kiss and nurse my wounded ego back to health.
Friday, July 23, 2004
I'm beat
Last night, I had to stay up till
Stupid college.
You see, my university went fully online about four years ago. This was a nice improvement to the previous method. Before, you had to drive down there, fill up a form and wait in line till you got to the inscription booth. This could take hours and it was annoying as heck.
Nowdays, you can register right from the commodity of your own home, using the university's website. Nice, right?
It's very convenient if there is just one section, or if you don't care who is giving the class. But sometimes you may want to get yourself into a specific class with a certain teacher. And that's when things get complicated.
If you're in a picky mood, you must get in early 'cause classes fill up fast. Unfortunately, the inscription periods open at
Generally, I wouldn't care too much about who was teaching, but not this time. You see, it's not that I wanted certain teacher to give the class: rather, I wanted a certain teacher NOT to give me the class.
So there I was, sitting in front of my computer, waiting for the clock to strike 12. I logged in, got into my user section and attempted to get into the class. It didn't work. A cold sweat came all over me. Had I done something wrong? What if I had neglected some procedure at some point??
In short, it took me about forty minutes to get everything worked out. By the time I logged out and headed to bed, it was about
Need I say how hard it was getting out of bed this morning?
Man, I am sooo tired. My eyes are all sore and my whole body feels like I got hit with a ton of bricks. And my mood is... well, suffice it to say that a female coworker told me I was the first case of male PMS she had ever seen.
Wednesday, July 21, 2004
It's getting hot in herre!!
Just when I thought I was out of the furnace, back in I go again.
It's official: the weather in Kzanderallia has gone back to torrid.
Actually, it never stopped being that way. I had high hopes that the rains would cool down this boiling pot of a country. But the precipitation rates so far have been minimal, and so, the overall effect has been nonexistent.
So now, on top of the unbearable heat, you have to lug an umbrella around, because you never know when the rain is gonna hit.
Such is life in the tropics.
LIVE from Lexcorp!!
Yes, I know I said I wouldn't write from here anymore.
Blog entries done in Lexcorp are incredibly code-ridden and you never really know how they'll come out until they're published. Also, editing them can be quite the chore.
But, I must. I've been neglecting my blog too long, and I know that if keep putting it off, then I'll probably stop bloggin' altogether. And I don't want that to happen.
Having a blog is cool for several reasons. To me, it's like freeze-framing life. You get to archive and share all your thoughts and anecdotes before they're lost to oblivion.
I can almost see it: future generations will be able to browse thru my blog, get a glimpse of my life in Kzanderallia in 2004, read all my deepest meditations... and wonder why I wasn't ever institutionalized.
Friday, July 16, 2004
Ok, now THAT was a bad idea
So content have I been to with the “blog-by-mail” feature, that I tried the unthinkable:
I posted from Lexcorp.
Did it work? You be the judge. Look at most of the posts made on the 15th. See anything different??
The type is smaller. But it’s not just that. There was an array of errors in each post which took an enormous time to fix. Extra characters and stuff like that. And you can’t see it, but each post has about half a page of this:
!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <o:OfficeDocumentSettings> <o:DoNotRelyOnCSS/> </o:OfficeDocumentSettings> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:SpellingState>Clean</w:SpellingState> <w:GrammarState>Clean</w:GrammarState> <w:DocumentKind>DocumentEmail</w:DocumentKind> <w:HyphenationZone>21</w:HyphenationZone> <w:EnvelopeVis/> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables/> <w:SnapToGridInCell/> <w:WrapTextWithPunct/> <w:UseAsianBreakRules/> </w:Compatibility> <w:BrowserLevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--> <style> <!-- /* Font Definitions */ @font-face {font-family:Wingdings; panose-1:5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0; mso-font-charset:2; mso-generic-font-family:auto; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:0 268435456 0 0 -2147483648 0;} @font-face {font-family:"Trebuchet MS"; panose-1:2 11 6 3 2 2 2 2 2 4; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:swiss; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:7 0 0 0 19 0;} /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-parent:""; margin:0cm; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";} a:link, span.MsoHyperlink {color:blue; text-decoration:underline; text-underline:single;} a:visited, span.MsoHyperlinkFollowed {color:purple; text-decoration:underline; text-underline:single;}
Although invisible, all this useless coding could build up and slow down a browser to a crawl.
No wonder nobody does pages in MS Office.
I posted from Lexcorp.
Did it work? You be the judge. Look at most of the posts made on the 15th. See anything different??
The type is smaller. But it’s not just that. There was an array of errors in each post which took an enormous time to fix. Extra characters and stuff like that. And you can’t see it, but each post has about half a page of this:
!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <o:OfficeDocumentSettings> <o:DoNotRelyOnCSS/> </o:OfficeDocumentSettings> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:SpellingState>Clean</w:SpellingState> <w:GrammarState>Clean</w:GrammarState> <w:DocumentKind>DocumentEmail</w:DocumentKind> <w:HyphenationZone>21</w:HyphenationZone> <w:EnvelopeVis/> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables/> <w:SnapToGridInCell/> <w:WrapTextWithPunct/> <w:UseAsianBreakRules/> </w:Compatibility> <w:BrowserLevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--> <style> <!-- /* Font Definitions */ @font-face {font-family:Wingdings; panose-1:5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0; mso-font-charset:2; mso-generic-font-family:auto; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:0 268435456 0 0 -2147483648 0;} @font-face {font-family:"Trebuchet MS"; panose-1:2 11 6 3 2 2 2 2 2 4; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:swiss; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:7 0 0 0 19 0;} /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-parent:""; margin:0cm; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";} a:link, span.MsoHyperlink {color:blue; text-decoration:underline; text-underline:single;} a:visited, span.MsoHyperlinkFollowed {color:purple; text-decoration:underline; text-underline:single;}
Although invisible, all this useless coding could build up and slow down a browser to a crawl.
No wonder nobody does pages in MS Office.
I CAN READ!!
Recently, I've rediscovered reading... REAL reading.
The kind you do with books.
I'm thrilled. This is so much better than reading magazines, which is pretty much what I'd been reading for the past 10 months.
Magazines are OK for a while, but the brain eventually needs something solid, something like... literature.
Why hadn't I been reading before? Good question.
You see, I thought I didn't have time, that books were just too long, but I was wrong. The secret is to read a bit here, a bit there...just what you can handle at a time. Before you realize it, the book is finished and you're looking for another. Personally, I try to read at least half an hour each day.
Right now, I'm finishing off a collection of short tales by Isaac Asimov.
This is what I've read so far:
Ok, so it's not such a long list, but... what did ya expect??
I've been on the reading wagon for only a couple of months.
UP NEXT: 1984, by George Orwell. I've seen the Apple ad, now I'll try the book!
The kind you do with books.
I'm thrilled. This is so much better than reading magazines, which is pretty much what I'd been reading for the past 10 months.
Magazines are OK for a while, but the brain eventually needs something solid, something like... literature.
Why hadn't I been reading before? Good question.
You see, I thought I didn't have time, that books were just too long, but I was wrong. The secret is to read a bit here, a bit there...just what you can handle at a time. Before you realize it, the book is finished and you're looking for another. Personally, I try to read at least half an hour each day.
Right now, I'm finishing off a collection of short tales by Isaac Asimov.
This is what I've read so far:
- The Tunnel, by Ernesto Sábato
- The Metamorphosis, by Franz Kafka
Ok, so it's not such a long list, but... what did ya expect??
I've been on the reading wagon for only a couple of months.
UP NEXT: 1984, by George Orwell. I've seen the Apple ad, now I'll try the book!
Thursday, July 15, 2004
I'm still a designer, right?
Lexcorp is wasting my valuable talents with unproductive chores.
I'm a D-E-S-I-G-N-E-R, for cripes's sake. Says so in my job description. Therefore, I should be designing stuff.
Instead, all I do is type in MS Word the whole day. Yes, I'm still doing the Lexcorp Gazette. In case you skipped previous entries, the Gazette is 1000 pages long and it spreads over four volumes. It's 100% solid text. The content is totally lame corporate stuff.
All the designing I get to do right now is using the space between characters and the leading in creative ways just so that the material fits into a page nicely. It's so tiresome, so repetitive, so... boring.
And the work is far from over. After I finish this book, I'll still have five more to go. Hooray.
All work and no play makes KZ a dull boy...
Should I or shouldn't I??
Lately, I've been asking myself if I should be trying to promote my blog somehow.
Should I dig it out of the cool, underground status it currently has going and bring it into the spotlight??
I wonder how will the pressure of augmented readership affect me and my blog.
Should I sell out??
But if I do, what would be a nice retail price?
Should I dig it out of the cool, underground status it currently has going and bring it into the spotlight??
I wonder how will the pressure of augmented readership affect me and my blog.
Should I sell out??
But if I do, what would be a nice retail price?
Pass the 'dunce' hat
I'll admit, I'm not the most alert person around.
But yesterday I outdid myself.
There was this very interesting Science Fiction Festival going on this month. Since it's gonna be impossible for me to attend it fully, I chose the day with the most interesting activities: I decided Wednesday would be the best choice.
So, yesterday off I went, got to the place without a hitch, parked the car and everything. The price at the parking lot was kinda steep, but I thought, "What the hey, I'm gonna be here quite a while, so it's best if the car is well-guarded."
I got to the building where the Festival was being held. It was closed. No wonder, since I was an hour early. With so much time in my hands, I decided to kill some of it by strolling around the nearby blocks. After fifteen minutes of walking, I got tired and bored, so I went to a nearby library and spent the rest of the overtime reading some mags. They even had A.I. playing on DVD. How appropriate.
Well, as you can imagine, I lost track of time. When I realized it, I was five minutes late!! Cursing my dumb luck, I dashed back two blocks to the building where the Festival being held. I was quite frustrated, because getting a good seat was out of the question. Now I even had to worry about getting any seat. When I arrived, gasping for air, the bulding was... closed.
Had the Festival been postponed?? Hadn't seen anything like that on the news...
Then, a young fellow, who works there walked right by me. I stopped him and asked, "Hey, what about the Sci-Fi Festival??"
He looked at me, perplexed, and answered, "Nothing, it's being held next week, just as planned."
And he pointed at a poster on the wall.
There it was, as clear as day:
SCI-FI FESTIVAL, FROM JULY 20TH TO THE 23RD, 2004.
It was a Wednesday, alright: next Wednesday!!
The worst part of it is that I must've seen that poster about three times when I first arrived. I only checked the day, not the date.
I'm such a dufus.
But, it's funny. People are always giving me heat 'cause I'm always late for stuff. Now I showed up a whole week in advance!
Wednesday, July 14, 2004
A humbling experience
I like to draw. People have always told me I am good at it. That’s the main reason I chose graphic design as my profession.
Yesterday, I drew a little cow a friend of mine had asked me for. It was a dancing cow, which was standing on its back legs, and grabbing fistfuls of cash. I thought I had done a really good job, until I asked my granny to take a look. After five minutes, she decided she couldn’t tell what the heck I had drawn. She thought it was a cat, then a hippo. My ego dropped like an anvil in water. I decided to end the charade before she crushed me any further. I told her what the drawing was supposed to be. She just shrugged and walked away.
I think I’ll become an accountant.
Yesterday, I drew a little cow a friend of mine had asked me for. It was a dancing cow, which was standing on its back legs, and grabbing fistfuls of cash. I thought I had done a really good job, until I asked my granny to take a look. After five minutes, she decided she couldn’t tell what the heck I had drawn. She thought it was a cat, then a hippo. My ego dropped like an anvil in water. I decided to end the charade before she crushed me any further. I told her what the drawing was supposed to be. She just shrugged and walked away.
I think I’ll become an accountant.
Tuesday, July 13, 2004
Me and cell phones
After almost two years of wear and tear, my cell phone died this year. I considered my options:
You see, my dad has a contract. He pays a monthly fee and he gets a new phone every 18 months. The old phones are usable, if you turn them into prepaid phones. And that is what I did.
I thought it was a sweet deal, since the activation fee was about 20 times less than buying the cheapest phone available. And the reactivated phone wasn’t all that bad-looking. For a while, it was good. Being in the same phone company for the first time, my girlfriend and I could even send each other text messages right from our phones and everything. Life was good.
But then, I must have done something to offend the cell phone gods, for their wrath started showing its ugly face in the worst way possible: my reactivated phone started to malfunction. It started to lose the signal. And anyone who’s ever used a cell phone knows that a cell phone that loses the signal is almost as bad as having no phone at all. Maybe worse.
So I took it up to repairs. They ‘changed the software’, whatever that means. It was a big wad of cash, but still less what it would cost me to get a new phone. For a while, things got back to normal.
Then it went kaput. Lost the signal for good. I called the company, and they insist I take the cell back to their repair shop. Apparently, it needs to ‘have its software changed again’.
So I did the only logical thing: I cursed like hell. Then, I did the next logical thing, which was going back to my original cell phone company and buy a new phone.
With so many phone changes, people will start thinking I’m hiding from somebody.
No, not from you.
Really.
Make way for the Micro Phone!*
On Sunday, my girlfriend got fed up with me not having a decent phone, so she and I went phone-shoppin. She even put up half so I could get a cool new one (Otherwise I would’ve gotten the cheapest one possible) Instead, I got the Panasonic GD55. This phone is the smallest thing ever. Even smaller than Zoolander’s phone. It’s so small that it could fall right into my ear if I’m not careful.
I still have to put in my phonebook. I think I’ll have to use tweezers or something, cause these buttons are tiny!! Also, I still have to work the hand position. I still get cramps from holding it wrong.
People worry I’ll misplace Tiny Phone. And considering my history with small, expensive objects, their worries are dignified. That’s why I got Tiny a very nice leather beltcase. He looks sexy.
You know, it’s weird. I look at Tiny and it’s like looking at a baby phone. He’s so cuuuute!!
Is this what having kids is like?
*A tiny header for a tiny phone.
- I could repair it, but it would cost roughly the same as a new model.
- I could buy a new model, but I’d lose my cell number (which I’ve been using for the last 4 years)
- I could switch companies and activate one of my dad’s phones.
You see, my dad has a contract. He pays a monthly fee and he gets a new phone every 18 months. The old phones are usable, if you turn them into prepaid phones. And that is what I did.
I thought it was a sweet deal, since the activation fee was about 20 times less than buying the cheapest phone available. And the reactivated phone wasn’t all that bad-looking. For a while, it was good. Being in the same phone company for the first time, my girlfriend and I could even send each other text messages right from our phones and everything. Life was good.
But then, I must have done something to offend the cell phone gods, for their wrath started showing its ugly face in the worst way possible: my reactivated phone started to malfunction. It started to lose the signal. And anyone who’s ever used a cell phone knows that a cell phone that loses the signal is almost as bad as having no phone at all. Maybe worse.
So I took it up to repairs. They ‘changed the software’, whatever that means. It was a big wad of cash, but still less what it would cost me to get a new phone. For a while, things got back to normal.
Then it went kaput. Lost the signal for good. I called the company, and they insist I take the cell back to their repair shop. Apparently, it needs to ‘have its software changed again’.
So I did the only logical thing: I cursed like hell. Then, I did the next logical thing, which was going back to my original cell phone company and buy a new phone.
With so many phone changes, people will start thinking I’m hiding from somebody.
No, not from you.
Really.
Make way for the Micro Phone!*
I still have to put in my phonebook. I think I’ll have to use tweezers or something, cause these buttons are tiny!! Also, I still have to work the hand position. I still get cramps from holding it wrong.
People worry I’ll misplace Tiny Phone. And considering my history with small, expensive objects, their worries are dignified. That’s why I got Tiny a very nice leather beltcase. He looks sexy.
You know, it’s weird. I look at Tiny and it’s like looking at a baby phone. He’s so cuuuute!!
Is this what having kids is like?
*A tiny header for a tiny phone.
Sunday, July 11, 2004
Yeah, I know
Once again, my blog has been left unattended.
Sorry. It’s just that nothing interesting happened for the last 9 days...
...NOT!!
You know, it’s the usual: too little time, a bit too tired, etc.
But here I am, ready to amuse your life with my mental wanderings and narrations.
So if you got a minute (or two)...
First off
You know, having a blog is weird.
Sometimes, if feels like I’m just talking to myself here.
-Well, of course you do, KZ, it’s a blog.
Wait, who said that??
-Relax, man. It’s just me, your brain.
NO WAY!!! Wait, does this mean I just went insane?
-Yep.
Oh, OK. Just checking. So, you were saying about my blog??
-Oh yeah... A blog is not a conversation. It’s a monologue: an endless rant about yourself, your life and how you view your world. Some blogs actually get to be quite good. I’m sorry I can’t say the same about your blog, my friend.
Whaddaya mean my blog is not good??? Have your read it?? Oh, right... you’re my brain. You were there all the time.
-Right. And with stuff like you’ve been putting in, it’s no wonder nobody’s reading it.
Hey! Last time I checked I had at least two readers!
-You and I don’t count.
Oh.
The kid in me is doing well, thank you for asking.
A few weeks ago, I went into a store with the firm intention of buying myself a fan. No, they don’t sell admirers in stores now (it’d be nice, though). I mean the appliance. The one I got in my room is ever closer to death by explosion. And I’d like to get rid of it a little before that, thank you.
But then, I came across a box in the DVD isle. It was the complete Pixar Collection: Toy Story 1 & 2, Monsters, Inc., Bug’s Life, Finding Nemo.
I could hear it beckoning from afar: BUY ME... BUY MEEEE....
It took me a whole 5 seconds to cave in.
Impulse buying is a weakness of mine. But I couldn’t be happier with my purchase. At last, I got to see Toy Story 1 (for the first time ever), and I also got to see the English versions of the rest (children’s movies are dubbed to Spanish in Kzanderallia). I loved hearing the voices of Kelsey Grammer, John Ratzenberger, Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Eric Bana and so many others. Oh, and the picture quality is the best.
I love my DVDs.
And while we are on the subject of DVDs...
I got my DVD player a couple of years back, as part of a promotion by a local videoclub. If you bought the DVD, you could rent one movie per week for a whole year, for free. It was quite a good deal, even though you had to rent on the same day every week, and if you happened to miss a rent date, you couldn’t get it back. That year, I got to see about 48 movies. It was a blast.
The DVD player, however, was a bust. The remote doesn’t work properly. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t. Apparently, the TV creates some crazy interference. At first (true to my schooling in home appliance repair), I tried jiggling it like crazy. For a time, it was good. But eventually, I got tired and got the dang player to the repair shop.
But, once I got it to the shop, the apparatus worked perfectly, without so much as a glitch. You could play, you could rewind, you could pause. It was beautiful. The repairmen said nothing but looked at me with the glance you save for the fool that says that his computer is not working... and hasn’t even tried turning it on. Full of embarrassment, I packed the player up and headed home.
Of course, once I got it back, it started malfunctioning. So I went back to the shaking and jiggling to set it straight. More than one time I wanted to throw it in the middle of the street, but refrained myself.
In the end, I settled for giving it a new location, far away from the TV. It isn’t a perfect solution, but at least the violent instincts towards it have stopped. And that is always good.
The decay of friendship
Last Thursday, I realized that I hadn’t seen a certain friend of mine since he got hitched, a couple of months ago. And he wasn’t alone. There were a few others that hadn’t been seen in about a month. So I emailed each and set up an urgent meeting at the nearest taco place. Friday, at 20:00.
Only three out of seven attended. Kinda bummed us out. Specially since my married friend was among the not present. Made us think about how those four valued our comradeship. It doesn’t look good, lemme tell ya.
Some people just don’t realise how much work goes into a friendship. You have to set time aside for friends every now and then. You have to talk over the phone at least once every two weeks and meet at least once every month. It can be quite difficult when you already have your plate full with other affairs. This can be done if both people value the relationship. But if that isn’t case, forget about it. This can be hard to swallow, the fact that you just aren’t relevant anymore. But it happens. The main thing is not to get angry over it. Rather, move on. It’s not easy, lemme tell you. I hate losing age-old friends. But if they don’t want you in their life, there is not much you can do about it.
Right now, I am left with the resolve to focus on the friends I do have, and hold on to them.
They won’t get away. EVER.
Ok, that sounded a little bit creepy.
Sorry. It’s just that nothing interesting happened for the last 9 days...
...NOT!!
You know, it’s the usual: too little time, a bit too tired, etc.
But here I am, ready to amuse your life with my mental wanderings and narrations.
So if you got a minute (or two)...
First off
You know, having a blog is weird.
Sometimes, if feels like I’m just talking to myself here.
-Well, of course you do, KZ, it’s a blog.
Wait, who said that??
-Relax, man. It’s just me, your brain.
NO WAY!!! Wait, does this mean I just went insane?
-Yep.
Oh, OK. Just checking. So, you were saying about my blog??
-Oh yeah... A blog is not a conversation. It’s a monologue: an endless rant about yourself, your life and how you view your world. Some blogs actually get to be quite good. I’m sorry I can’t say the same about your blog, my friend.
Whaddaya mean my blog is not good??? Have your read it?? Oh, right... you’re my brain. You were there all the time.
-Right. And with stuff like you’ve been putting in, it’s no wonder nobody’s reading it.
Hey! Last time I checked I had at least two readers!
-You and I don’t count.
Oh.
The kid in me is doing well, thank you for asking.
A few weeks ago, I went into a store with the firm intention of buying myself a fan. No, they don’t sell admirers in stores now (it’d be nice, though). I mean the appliance. The one I got in my room is ever closer to death by explosion. And I’d like to get rid of it a little before that, thank you.
But then, I came across a box in the DVD isle. It was the complete Pixar Collection: Toy Story 1 & 2, Monsters, Inc., Bug’s Life, Finding Nemo.
I could hear it beckoning from afar: BUY ME... BUY MEEEE....
It took me a whole 5 seconds to cave in.
Impulse buying is a weakness of mine. But I couldn’t be happier with my purchase. At last, I got to see Toy Story 1 (for the first time ever), and I also got to see the English versions of the rest (children’s movies are dubbed to Spanish in Kzanderallia). I loved hearing the voices of Kelsey Grammer, John Ratzenberger, Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Eric Bana and so many others. Oh, and the picture quality is the best.
I love my DVDs.
And while we are on the subject of DVDs...
I got my DVD player a couple of years back, as part of a promotion by a local videoclub. If you bought the DVD, you could rent one movie per week for a whole year, for free. It was quite a good deal, even though you had to rent on the same day every week, and if you happened to miss a rent date, you couldn’t get it back. That year, I got to see about 48 movies. It was a blast.
The DVD player, however, was a bust. The remote doesn’t work properly. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t. Apparently, the TV creates some crazy interference. At first (true to my schooling in home appliance repair), I tried jiggling it like crazy. For a time, it was good. But eventually, I got tired and got the dang player to the repair shop.
But, once I got it to the shop, the apparatus worked perfectly, without so much as a glitch. You could play, you could rewind, you could pause. It was beautiful. The repairmen said nothing but looked at me with the glance you save for the fool that says that his computer is not working... and hasn’t even tried turning it on. Full of embarrassment, I packed the player up and headed home.
Of course, once I got it back, it started malfunctioning. So I went back to the shaking and jiggling to set it straight. More than one time I wanted to throw it in the middle of the street, but refrained myself.
In the end, I settled for giving it a new location, far away from the TV. It isn’t a perfect solution, but at least the violent instincts towards it have stopped. And that is always good.
The decay of friendship
Last Thursday, I realized that I hadn’t seen a certain friend of mine since he got hitched, a couple of months ago. And he wasn’t alone. There were a few others that hadn’t been seen in about a month. So I emailed each and set up an urgent meeting at the nearest taco place. Friday, at 20:00.
Only three out of seven attended. Kinda bummed us out. Specially since my married friend was among the not present. Made us think about how those four valued our comradeship. It doesn’t look good, lemme tell ya.
Some people just don’t realise how much work goes into a friendship. You have to set time aside for friends every now and then. You have to talk over the phone at least once every two weeks and meet at least once every month. It can be quite difficult when you already have your plate full with other affairs. This can be done if both people value the relationship. But if that isn’t case, forget about it. This can be hard to swallow, the fact that you just aren’t relevant anymore. But it happens. The main thing is not to get angry over it. Rather, move on. It’s not easy, lemme tell you. I hate losing age-old friends. But if they don’t want you in their life, there is not much you can do about it.
Right now, I am left with the resolve to focus on the friends I do have, and hold on to them.
They won’t get away. EVER.
Ok, that sounded a little bit creepy.
Thursday, July 01, 2004
Ready... Set... BLOG!
Got lots to talk about.
Got the time.
Got the will.
Got the energy.
LET’S BLOG!
Got the time.
Got the will.
Got the energy.
LET’S BLOG!
A jumble of sorts
Let’s try something new.
Instead of a mess of little blog entries, I’ll make ONE BIG ONE, with chapters.
CHAPTER ONE:
Army Day
Today is the day when the glorious Kzanderallian Army celebrates it’s own day.
Critics say that such a small nation as Kzanderallia doesn’t really need an army, and that it sucks too much of the national budget without tangible benefits.
Nonetheless, I love Army Day.
Because of it, I get the day off!!
CHAPTER TWO:
The Breakfast Club
My two best friends at Lexcorp had their birthdays this month. Instead of buying them presents, I took them both to breakfast today. We were set to have the breakfast at 7:00, so we’d be done at 9:00 and each could spend the rest of the Army Day as best possible.
But things rarely come off as planned.
Here’s the breakdown:
7:15 I get up, a fashionably half hour late.
7:25 I finish getting dressed. I think both shoes are the same color. No time to check!
7:35 After realizing that I barely have K$ 20 (Kzanderallian pesos) to pay for three breakfasts, I decide to drop by the ATM.
7:37 I find out have only K$ 107 on my account. I need about K$300, fast.
7:45 Hit up my girlfriend for money. She hands over K$200. Isn’t that what a loved one is for?
8:12 I am finally on my way to pick up the first passenger, who happens to live on the other side of town. I decide I really need to make friends around my block.
8:16 Impatient people are starting to call, making sure the breakfast thing is still on. I am grateful, for I really needed the extra pressure.
8:25 I miss my exit. Highways are fun!
8:32 back on track.
8:36 Human cargo secure. On to the next pick-up point.
8:45 Everybody is in the car, we head out to the restaurant.
9:15 After unsuccesfully peddling the benefits of McDonald’s EconoDeals, we head out to an Italian restaurant. My friends are such snobs.
After that, everything went smoothly, despite the delay. We settled in, we ate and talked and talked for two straight hours. I love these guys. The breakfast was worth every penny.
CHAPTER THREE:
The Diploma Factory
My girlfriend’s sister, Val, needed to give a diploma for a teacher of hers. Knowing that I am a famous designer, she asked my girlfriend to enlist my help in making one. Graciously I agreed. So I fired up the design app and used my amazing skills to produce a such a diploma as few mortals have ever seen. Val was delighted and thanked me immensely.
I wonder if she’ll be so grateful after I bill her.
CHAPTER FOUR:
Getting some food in
Designing diplomas can make one very hungry, so I threw my girlfriend in the trunk and drove to the nearest food court. It is in times like these that I despise being on a no-cheese diet. But hey, it could be worse: my girl has a no-salt diet (don’t ask). So I settled for a Phily Steak Sandwich (no cheese) and Ivy had a chicken bagel (just lettuce, herbs and the chicken). Iv actually had to take it back, ‘cause the bagel people added cheese to it. They kinda scraped it off the bun, but there still was cheese everywhere. It was partially her fault, since she didn’t specifically asked for the cheese to be left out. But the Bagel Makers booth was so lame that it didn’t have a complete menu, so Iv couldn’t really know there was cheese in the mix till it was too late.
To make up for such culinary frustrations, later we had a big chunk of chocolate cake. Luckily, none of us is in a no-sugar diet, like my dad. Poor guy.
CHAPTER FIVE:
A bout of materialism
Then we strolled around the mall looking at things too ridiculous or too expensive to buy. I got me a fake Zippo for about a fifth of the price of a real one. That’s OK since I don’t really use lighters so often, being a non-smoker and everything. But I believe that every man should have a lighter at hand, for emergencies like lighting up firecrackers and whatnot. And a knockoff is more than able for the job. Hope it doesn’t blow up on me, though.
CHAPTER SIX:
Chillin’
All that walking around stores can get tiresome. So we headed to my girlfriend’s. We talked, read together, we even cuddled a bit.
Unfortunately, most of the times I end up being snuggled by Iv’s crazy dog. Dog drool all over, not a pretty sight.
Regardless, it’s my favorite time of the week.
CHAPTER SEVEN:
The crazy things I do for movies
So at 20:30, I got to my parents’ to make a short visit before bedtime. Or so I thought.
You see, since most people were having a day off (being Army Day and everything), movie theater entrepreneurs decided to milk the Spiderman 2 premiere for all its worth. So they had dozens of showings all over the city. People came by the hundreds. Everybody wanted to see the movie.
So did I, but had decided against it because I loathe crowds. But the movie freak in me triumphed and at 21:05 I grabbed my sis and headed to the closest cinema, hoping to catch the last showing, which was at 21:15. We got there at 21:11, and dashed to the ticket booth. And then, we encountered... The Line.
It was humongous beyond measure. It was about a block long and twisted everyplace trying to fit all the people in the miniscule space available. Any resistance would be futile, so Sis and I took our places at the end of the line and waited for about 15 minutes more for the line to move, finally.
Unbelievably, we managed to get ourselves really good seats in the back, to the left. Apparently, most folks wanted to take up a place in the central seating area, and forgot about the rear. That’s how my sis and I were able to make our famously astute comments about the movie, without interruptions from annoyed moviegoers. They were truly great seats, so no innocent blood was spilled.
CHAPTER EIGHT:
Making amends
My girlfriend is kinda pissed. She wanted to go with me to see Spiderman 2, but since it was a last-minute kind of thing, she couldn’t come with us. No biggie: the movie was great, so I wouldn’t mind seeing it for a second time.
Which is not the case with Matrix Revolutions. Iv wasn’t with me when I saw it first, but I despised it so much I can’t bear to see it again... Not even for her.
I guess that one she’ll have to rent.
Instead of a mess of little blog entries, I’ll make ONE BIG ONE, with chapters.
CHAPTER ONE:
Army Day
Today is the day when the glorious Kzanderallian Army celebrates it’s own day.
Critics say that such a small nation as Kzanderallia doesn’t really need an army, and that it sucks too much of the national budget without tangible benefits.
Nonetheless, I love Army Day.
Because of it, I get the day off!!
CHAPTER TWO:
The Breakfast Club
My two best friends at Lexcorp had their birthdays this month. Instead of buying them presents, I took them both to breakfast today. We were set to have the breakfast at 7:00, so we’d be done at 9:00 and each could spend the rest of the Army Day as best possible.
But things rarely come off as planned.
Here’s the breakdown:
7:15 I get up, a fashionably half hour late.
7:25 I finish getting dressed. I think both shoes are the same color. No time to check!
7:35 After realizing that I barely have K$ 20 (Kzanderallian pesos) to pay for three breakfasts, I decide to drop by the ATM.
7:37 I find out have only K$ 107 on my account. I need about K$300, fast.
7:45 Hit up my girlfriend for money. She hands over K$200. Isn’t that what a loved one is for?
8:12 I am finally on my way to pick up the first passenger, who happens to live on the other side of town. I decide I really need to make friends around my block.
8:16 Impatient people are starting to call, making sure the breakfast thing is still on. I am grateful, for I really needed the extra pressure.
8:25 I miss my exit. Highways are fun!
8:32 back on track.
8:36 Human cargo secure. On to the next pick-up point.
8:45 Everybody is in the car, we head out to the restaurant.
9:15 After unsuccesfully peddling the benefits of McDonald’s EconoDeals, we head out to an Italian restaurant. My friends are such snobs.
After that, everything went smoothly, despite the delay. We settled in, we ate and talked and talked for two straight hours. I love these guys. The breakfast was worth every penny.
CHAPTER THREE:
The Diploma Factory
My girlfriend’s sister, Val, needed to give a diploma for a teacher of hers. Knowing that I am a famous designer, she asked my girlfriend to enlist my help in making one. Graciously I agreed. So I fired up the design app and used my amazing skills to produce a such a diploma as few mortals have ever seen. Val was delighted and thanked me immensely.
I wonder if she’ll be so grateful after I bill her.
CHAPTER FOUR:
Getting some food in
Designing diplomas can make one very hungry, so I threw my girlfriend in the trunk and drove to the nearest food court. It is in times like these that I despise being on a no-cheese diet. But hey, it could be worse: my girl has a no-salt diet (don’t ask). So I settled for a Phily Steak Sandwich (no cheese) and Ivy had a chicken bagel (just lettuce, herbs and the chicken). Iv actually had to take it back, ‘cause the bagel people added cheese to it. They kinda scraped it off the bun, but there still was cheese everywhere. It was partially her fault, since she didn’t specifically asked for the cheese to be left out. But the Bagel Makers booth was so lame that it didn’t have a complete menu, so Iv couldn’t really know there was cheese in the mix till it was too late.
To make up for such culinary frustrations, later we had a big chunk of chocolate cake. Luckily, none of us is in a no-sugar diet, like my dad. Poor guy.
CHAPTER FIVE:
A bout of materialism
Then we strolled around the mall looking at things too ridiculous or too expensive to buy. I got me a fake Zippo for about a fifth of the price of a real one. That’s OK since I don’t really use lighters so often, being a non-smoker and everything. But I believe that every man should have a lighter at hand, for emergencies like lighting up firecrackers and whatnot. And a knockoff is more than able for the job. Hope it doesn’t blow up on me, though.
CHAPTER SIX:
Chillin’
All that walking around stores can get tiresome. So we headed to my girlfriend’s. We talked, read together, we even cuddled a bit.
Unfortunately, most of the times I end up being snuggled by Iv’s crazy dog. Dog drool all over, not a pretty sight.
Regardless, it’s my favorite time of the week.
CHAPTER SEVEN:
The crazy things I do for movies
So at 20:30, I got to my parents’ to make a short visit before bedtime. Or so I thought.
You see, since most people were having a day off (being Army Day and everything), movie theater entrepreneurs decided to milk the Spiderman 2 premiere for all its worth. So they had dozens of showings all over the city. People came by the hundreds. Everybody wanted to see the movie.
So did I, but had decided against it because I loathe crowds. But the movie freak in me triumphed and at 21:05 I grabbed my sis and headed to the closest cinema, hoping to catch the last showing, which was at 21:15. We got there at 21:11, and dashed to the ticket booth. And then, we encountered... The Line.
It was humongous beyond measure. It was about a block long and twisted everyplace trying to fit all the people in the miniscule space available. Any resistance would be futile, so Sis and I took our places at the end of the line and waited for about 15 minutes more for the line to move, finally.
Unbelievably, we managed to get ourselves really good seats in the back, to the left. Apparently, most folks wanted to take up a place in the central seating area, and forgot about the rear. That’s how my sis and I were able to make our famously astute comments about the movie, without interruptions from annoyed moviegoers. They were truly great seats, so no innocent blood was spilled.
CHAPTER EIGHT:
Making amends
My girlfriend is kinda pissed. She wanted to go with me to see Spiderman 2, but since it was a last-minute kind of thing, she couldn’t come with us. No biggie: the movie was great, so I wouldn’t mind seeing it for a second time.
Which is not the case with Matrix Revolutions. Iv wasn’t with me when I saw it first, but I despised it so much I can’t bear to see it again... Not even for her.
I guess that one she’ll have to rent.
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