Almost Finished Project (for deactivation): August 2009

CONTEST: How Old is Old?

Cathara will be celebrating her 25th birthday on the 13th of October.

She's a new found friend here in Blogosphere. Well, actually, DedeAndro indirectly introduced me to her. D tagged me to join in Cathara's contest: "How Old is Old?"

What to win? $25.00 via paypal!

Here are the mechanics:

FEATURING: Freaky Girl from MOTIONPORTRAIT

Image by Dr Case via Flickr

This doesn't really need any more details. Just visit this site below. (No she doesn't look like the girl from this photo.)

Just a word of caution, don't stare at her.

http://cubo.cc/

Re-post from Rob's blog: Lone Voice: CUBOCC

I found this from Rob's site. Well, I just couldn't help it. I needed to re-blog this. Please visit his site to check our more from him.

In every man’s (and also woman’s) life, playing games is a must. Our childhood would never be complete had we not enjoined ourselves in playing around with friends. Goofing off, running around, playing tag, hide-and-seek. It has been our nature as beings with complete consciousness to engage ourselves with acts such as these to integrate ourselves with everyone else around us.

Funny thing is it doesn’t end. As we grow older and mature, we still end up playing. The games may be different, but the premise is still there. We are bound by the rules, and we’d have to meet the objectives to win. It’s pretty simple really. Games have taught us as we were young kids, what we should learn as we mature: the instinctive nature to fight the battle and win the game.

Winning, of course, is in itself a debatable concept, for losing is still winning, although it’s winning something else. But now’s not the time to discuss that. Let’s go to the very core of the word itself.

Winning a game needs precision in moves, decisive attacks, and passive manipulation of the opponent’s pieces. This practically applies to any game, be it for children, in business, and even in poker.

Image via Wikipedia

I played poker with a friend last night, and man was he good. We put on our poker faces, like we always do, placed our bets, and started the game. It was as intense as it can get.

Of course, it’s not the type of game where you could really prepare for an attack, right? I mean, once the cards are dealt, it’s practically up to you how to play them.

Luckily, my poker face isn’t that easy to decipher. Raise a brow here, pout lips, take a deep breath, and look at him intently. Look back at your cards, take a one-second glance to the side, then back at him, back to your cards and then back at him.

I don’t really know what those glances mean, but they sure convey something. Something that he doesn’t know, ‘coz for all obvious reasons, I don’t either.

I’m playing an Ace and a King, both of Hearts. They were really good cards, and I could feel that sense of security and assurance even before we rolled in our first bets. I play safe and call in every time we start a game. The flops are turned, giving us an Ace of Clubs, Ten of Hearts, and Three of Spades.

It wasn’t intentional that the mirror had been positioned behind him; it was a really old mirror that had been hanging on my wall for ages already. Nor was it intentional that he had set up the poker table in front of that mirror. It was even more purely coincidental that the reflection showed he holds in his hand the other pair of Aces. It was a losing game for me.

Flopping a pair of Aces has no chance of winning against his Three of a Kind. He raised the bets. It takes a while for me to make a sound. Heavy drops of perspiration are already building up my brows now. I had to bluff. I check and raise the bets, doubling it. Risking this much is worth it, I believe. He calls it in.

It seems as if my heart was beating faster than the flapping wings of a flying hummingbird. But I had to keep my poker face on. Composing myself, I take another deep breath, keeping blood to flow through every part of my body, allowing as much oxygen to supply my already pounding heart.

The fourth street is turned. A Jack of Hearts appears. Was it a sign from God? I had no idea.

Drafts of cool night air rushes through the window, but somehow, it fails to win over the extreme heat I’m feeling. I wipe of the sweat off my face. He checks but I raise the bets. He still has the best hand in the game so far. He still has to play the game, and calls it in.

The intensity of the game is still rising and who knows when it will reach its climax. I see drops of sweat already forming on his face. He briskly wipes them off. That is all he can do now.

With poker faces still on, we exchange blank stares. Two amazing players bashing up against each other, not knowing how much experience each one has. It’s really an intense game.

What are the odds of drawing the Queen of Hearts on the fifth street? It is the final piece of my winning set. I am seconds away from getting my Royal Flush. He knows that all too well!

We struggle to keep our selves appease. The building squalls within us are becoming unbearable by the second. The fifth street is slow being drawn, but just before we could even see the card’s face, the power goes out.

…

Nah, the power does not go out. But I’m holding you guys off a bit. I’ll get back to you guys when I know what card has been dealt. For now, I’ll leave you with this.

Image by fithtyfithty

Did I hit the Queen of Hearts? That very thin, extremely minute and incredibly slim chance? I’ll tell you soon!

Quote of the Day:
"Obstacles don't have to stop you. If you run into a wall, don't turn around and give up. Figure out how to climb it, go through it, or work around it." -- Michael Jordan

FEATURING: Inca Siojo Seeing, Hearing, Speaking No "Evil"?

About two years ago, I said goodbye to a very dear friend. She is now in Canada, living the life! Yahoo! Go Inca! Anyway, her name is Marie Dominique Siojo. Inca for short.

I've known Inca when we were still singing with the Ateneo College Glee Club (ACGC) during college. She was indeed a very talented chorister. But aside from being gifted with an awesome voice, God has blessed her with a keen sense of artistic talent. Today, I will be showcasing some of her works.

I've contacted Inca about her works a few days ago, and she had gladly sent me her masterpieces. I have always been a fan, so without further ado, Inca's Gallery.

I especially like the last one!

All of these were done in 2008.

She says:

I had a drawing class and a photog class. Yung graphic thing, experimenting lang yun hehe.

The photo with me in it is part of a self-portrait triptych that follows the "See, hear, speak no evil" phrase. Instead of "evil", I decided to put the things I didn't like seeing, hearing, or speaking of.

The other 2 photos were taken at a historical site for a class project.

She will continue to make more! And we will be expecting more! Thank you Inca!

Quote of the Day:
"To accomplish great things, we must not only act, but also dream, not only plan, but also believe." -- Anatole France

BLOG UPDATE: Zemanta Installed

Zemanta "improves the way you blog and write e-mails."

Simple point & click enrichment of your blog posts (and emails). In real-time, while you type. We suggest tags, links, photos, and related articles. You save time and aspirin.

5M+ pictures, 5M+ articles. 10M+ possibilities.

Features include (info taken from site):

Focus on writing better blog content
Single click blogger friendly multimedia
Re-blogging

to name a few.

Zemanta Live Writer plugin screencast from zemanta on Vimeo.

Basically, the video tells you more info than I could. I just couldn't show you how I use it, but you say the video so I guess that would be enough. It's really fun to use. It just gives you easier access to stuff you'd want to incorporate in your blog. You should try it.

One key thing to note is that this plugin is not browser exclusive. It allows integration to almost all browsers, Firefox, IE, even Chrome and Safari. So regardless of what platform you use, Zemanta can be installed.

This plugin also works for various e-mail clients, including Yahoo Mail and Google Mail.

BLOG UPDATE: GoogleFriendConnect and Dick's Song List Installed

I have been in contact with another blogger, DedeAndro, who was kind enough to help me with my updates. Today, I have finally installed Google Friend Connect's Comment Gadget. It's located below the Shoutout Chat Box I installed a few weeks ago. The Comment widget allows reply threading (what's up with me and threading anyway?). Hehe..

I also added another MixPod player that plays automatically upon loading of the whole site. This is purely experimental. I would be monitoring the bandwidth consumption with this widget being automatically played. I would have the results before the month's end. The MixPod Player widget is located below my Wishlist. This playlist contains all my songs, finished or unfinished. I will be updating it often.

Feel free to throw your comments and suggestions about these new widgets.

Future Update: I will be incorporating a page for you to be able to contact me. It will be ready very soon.

Enjoy my site!

Quote of the Day:
"The young do not know enough to be prudent, and therefore they attempt the impossible -- and achieve it, generation after generation." -- Pearl S. Buck

J'Adore Tien Blog Award 2009 (August)

French for "I love your blog," the J'Adore Tien Blog Award has been given to me by DedeAndro (Thanks D!). This is my first award as a blogger and I hope I get more. :)

Here are the rules for this award.

Copy the award image above.
Pass it to the bloggers whom you think are deserving for this award.
Leave a message to them.
Pass as many as you want.
Leave a comment to the person who give this award.

I'd really like to take this time to thank DedeAndro for this award. It is now my pleasure to pass this award on to the next deserving blogger.

And the award goes to... *drum roll* kim.

Thanks for giving me a wonderful experience with your blog. You made me feel a lot smarter with your posts. And it's not because we had a past relationship *cough* i am not that much guilty anymore! *cough* that I give this award to you. I really wish you would continue to write. I enjoy your emo-ness, NOT bordering on suicidal. Just know that you will always be original and no one can take that away from you. Not even that Joy girl, whoever she is. I'll still be a fan.

Now, it's your turn to pass it on. That gives me an excuse to force you to continue to blog. Please, when you make a post about this, make it as interesting as the other posts you made! Cheers!

ENCORE: Open Up - First Draft

As promised, I have uploaded my song so that everyone can listen to it.

Click the play button to listen.

Get the lyrics here.

Disclaimer:
There is a part of the song (when I reach a high note) where the quality changes. I swear I had nothing to do with that.

Quote of the Day:
"We are not the same persons this year as last; nor are those we love. It is a happy chance if we, changing, continue to love a changed person" -- W. Somerset Maugham

Song List:
1. Last Song - A Capella
2. Let The Pain Go Away - A Capella
3. ~~Open Up - First Draft~~
4. So Close - Cover

Credits to foreverlong926 for the image of a cat in an open window.

ENCORE: Open Up

EDIT: Media already available. Click here to listen.

I have been listening to a lot songs lately and they've got me singing. My latest creation to date: Open Up.

Open Up

Open up the window, baby
Let the light come in
Every morn’ I come to meet you
Let the day begin

I am the sky that watches over you
Everyday your whole life through
I kiss your lips with golden rays of sun
All day until there is none

Hold your breath for it will still get better
Have faith in me and take my hand

Open up the window, baby
Let the light come in
Every morn’ I come to meet you
Let the day begin

Let me sweep you over, baby
Everywhere we go
Let me take you all around my world

I am the air that wraps around you baby
Every day in a sweet embrace
I hold you near and we shall stay this way
All day, I hope and I pray

Hold my hand and I will take you higher
I am here and I will be your man

I have been so inspired that after writing this song today, I immediately recorded it. And for added bonus, I added an accompaniment; and with further extra, I attempted to add backup.

MIXPOD PLAYER SHOULD GO HERE!

~~Unfortunately, our internet is going wonky again, and would not allow me to upload my new song. I will try to upload it again tonight and hopefully it should be available by then.~~

EDIT: Media already available. Click here to listen.

Disclaimer:
There is a part of the song (when I reach a high note) where the quality changes. I swear I had nothing to do with that.

Quote of the Day:
"We are not the same persons this year as last; nor are those we love. It is a happy chance if we, changing, continue to love a changed person" -- W. Somerset Maugham

Credits to shadowedeyes89 for the image of an open window.

FEATURING: C. Graham - Musical Scores

Back in college, I knew this guy named Christopher Francis Graham. He also went to college with me in the Ateneo de Manila University. Wait, he actually is STILL in college right now! Hailing from the Queen City of the South (from which I also come from), Chris has started to create his own music. Tonight, I'll be featuring some of his masterpieces.

I first heard his pieces from his Multiply site. So I immediately emailed him to allow me to publish his works on my Blogger.com. He gladly agreed and sent me his music files.

What I will be offering you tonight will be two musical scores he created for a play in school. Not much detail has been given to me about the nature of the play but in one of our correspondence he mentions:

" these songs are for a play.
ok first was for the creepy theme... then my friend, Kyle's group mates said that it was too scary... the play is of a love-story that has a ghost in there somewhere.. like the ghost was in love with the girl or something...
so i made the second file i sent u... i tried to make a median between love-story-ish and scary music..."

Play List:
1. Christopher Graham - Web Theme
2. Christopher Graham - Ghost Love

I hope you enjoy!

Quote of the Day:
"Music washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life." -- Berthold Auerbach

BLOG UPDATE: JS-Kit ECHO Commenting System Installed

JS-Kit ECHO is basically the latest commenting system launched (Public Beta) last August 6th, 2009. Adding rich, interactive features for any blogger's site, this has been their goal.

Echo is.. the way to share your content, and watch the live reaction. Embed it on your site – replacing your old commenting system – and you get:

Real-time – Watch people react to your content live – without refreshing the page!
Social Gestures – Echo captures the Social Gestures relating to your content including comments, likes, star ratings and more!
Stream – Echo simplifies the presentation of conversation to just two levels. This simpler, cleaner style helps people keep track of contributions and engage in parallel conversations.
Hyper-Distributed – Visitors share your content with their friends across all their favorite social networks at once – broadening the conversation and driving new traffic.
Aggregated – Echo captures conversations related to your content from across the web and places them on your page.
People – Echo allows people to connect to your site using their profile from the worlds most popular social networks. Users can even bind multiple social media accounts together.
Multimedia – Echo items can include safe HTML, photos, and video for a richer conversation.
Multiplied Engagement – Echo increases engagement by providing more ways for users to get involved and express their opinion.

I haven't fully maximized it's feature yet. I just read about it over Dede Andro's blogsite, and thought it would worth the while trying it out. It would take some time to be familiar with it though. It's pretty much easy to use and navigate around with. One thing that makes this commenting system interesting is the function that allow reply threading, unlike the old commenting system that comes along with blogger.com that basically keeps the replies in a single chronological order with very little interactivity.

Another thing you need to take heed, is the fact that every comment comes with an avatar, and unless you edit your profile, an ugly blank faceless image would be displayed. Anyhow, adding in a small photo isn't such a troubling chore. You can actually log in with any of the following IDs:

-- OpenID
-- Blogspot URL
-- Facebook Account
-- Yahoo Account
-- Google Friend Connect
-- Twitter Account

Or you can also use, if you have any, JS-Kit Account or Haloscan Account. If you don't have any of the aforementioned ID's, which I highly doubt, you can create a New JS-Kit Account. Simply select this from the drop down list (it should on top of all the mentioned login IDs).

How to login? Oh, just click the Admin drop down menu and choose login and you're all set.

Well, I guess those would be the basics. I'll be monitoring how this system would turn out. Hah! I'm one to say, someone who gets a lot of hits and countless comments in a day. Yeah right! But in any case, just to prepare and pave my way to the future success of this blogger page, I'll keep it up.

If you happen to check this commenting system out, feel free to voice out your opinions. After all, this commenting system has been installed for that purpose.

ENCORE: Let The Pain Go Away - A Capella

This song is based on a poem from my archives. You can find it here.

Complete version will follow very soon. I would really love to hear your comments. My friend Jona is gonna do the acoustic arrangement of the song, so check back once in a while to get updates about it.

Edit: Lyrics were transfered to the original post.

Quote of the Day:

"To accomplish great things, we must not only act, but also dream; not only plan, but also believe." -- Anatole France

Song List:
1. Last Song - A Capella
2. ~~Let The Pain Go Away - A Capella~~
3. Open Up - First Draft
4. So Close - Cover

ENCORE: Last Song - A Capella

~~The imeem player requires you to have an imeem account before you can hear the songs. Sorry for the inconvenience.~~ I'm gonna come up with a work-around soon.

EDIT: Removed the Direct Download links as well as the imeem player. Mixpod player has already been installed!

This is basically how the song would sound like. The lyrics itself would be around 1min and 30sec. If intro, inerludes, and ending would be added, it would probably be somewhere between 2 - 3 min. Typical song length for a song in a musical.

The first track is how the beat sounds. The second track is the song. Hope you enjoy it. :)

(This is based on the poem I made in the previous post.)

Quote of the Day:

"The belief in a thing makes it happen." -- Frank Lloyd Wright

Song List:

1. ~~Last Song - A Capella~~
2. Let The Pain Go Away - A Capella

3. Open Up - First Draft
4. So Close - Cover

Credits to gordonrae for the amazing night sky shot.

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