1. It is for the most part, a monstrous waste of time - Once you turn the TV on, you will inevitably find something interesting to watch. For example, I happened onto a 60 Minutes feature on the FBI agent who interrogated Saddam Hussein for the duration of his incarceration before being handed back to the Iraqis. The other day, I was also enthralled by a BBC documentary ftg. two nerdy guys trying to make a motorcycle to run on compressed air, in an effort to make a zero emission delivery vehicle for a sandwich manufacturer in London.

2. Vastly interesting as they were - they were certainly an innoportune appropriation of my time. It (my time) being limited and the list of things I want to do with it ever increasing, it behooves me to make proper use of it. Granted, interest in above topics were genuine. Regardless, the abrupt and random nature of these cable watching activities are unwelcome, being as they are, blockages to my attempts at it (my time)'s efficient use.
3. Except for the possible exception of Basketball - which is quite likely the only thing I watch without that tinge of guilt that I'm supposed to be doing something else. Seeing as I am running a Basketball Blog, anything I can absorb in relation to this sport is a plus. Hence, watching basketball seems to be the only thing positive cable has so far, brought about.
4. Hence, I should endeavour to blog about TV shows - which I thought about doing for a while but has since ditched the idea because of two reasons:
   • There aren't any truly worthwhile TV shows to blog about anymore, Sopranos having finished two years ago already. The Sopranos is the only show that has ever held my complete and utter attention for an appreciable period, and nothing comes close to it to date.
   • Blogging about a TV show would only add to the things I have to do, and that list (as I mentioned above), is already overwhelming as it is (unless of course another show comes about that is as compelling as Sopranos, which somehow I doubt).

Well, that's it, that's what I think about Cable TV. From above we can glean that: a.Sure, it's a pretty thing to have around the house, but if you wanna get a lot of things done, it ain't for you. b.I thought about blogging about TV shows but in some roundabout way connected it with how busy I am and therefore shelved the idea. And c. Having a conversation with myself probably makes me look like a raving lunatic, but at least it make something look clearer!

2 days every week starting this week I now consult for a company that's making a ton of websites for itself, its branches and all its affiliate smaller companies, totalling approximately 44 in all. So I go there every Monday and whichever other day there's a meeting, do my thing, then in theory, hop and skidaddle off home afterwards. That's the theory however, but in practice, the place is a good 2.5 hours of commuting away, so going to and back takes up half a day.

I'm not complaining though. There are 3 factors why I agreed to this gig. First is I get to work with a very good friend again. We had some great times when we were starting out in this business. We learn from each other and often bounce ideas off each other. There's no doubt in my mind he is the best in what he does, but what I like most is his totally non plussed attitude towards pretty much everything. He's the kind of guy who is horsing and joking around almost constantly, but still gets the job done and done well. He vouched for me to get this deal so now that it's come through I'm pretty gung ho about it, and I don't think I'd have agreed if it weren't him asking me.

2nd is the job has to do with websites and the 'net, which is a given of course, and 3rd is that I get to work with content, SEO and 'getting users to use the website', which probably has a more appropriate buzzword for it except that I don't like buzzwords, can't think of one right now and besides, 'getting users to use the website', hits the nail right on the head.

There's a 4th reason actually, and it has to do with how exciting things are if we get it done the way I foresee it (I've already more or less figured out what needs to be done). I am a picture of a complete geek in the fact that I still completely enjoy thinking of, planning and implementing ideas, and seeing them work out. It's an absolute joy to create a site, see it grow, shape its path and see how people use it the way you want them to. I think it's a mix of how, say, an architect creates a building and finds joy in how people use the pathways like they're supposed to, or design a special roof that will save energy for it and see it actually work, or that of a publisher creating a newspaper, getting the right people, determining the right content, and seeing reader's lives shaped by what they have read and make a ultimately change things for the better around us.

I get that thrill everyday when I check my sites, and I cannot have enough of it. I realize now if we do this right it'll pay off on a grander scale and that's such an awesome thought I try not to think about it.

The challenge of course, is that there are more people involved now. Bosses and clients and their underlings whom I need to get on the same page. But I'm confident that what I do and have done can make people work in the same direction, as long as I present it well and state my case clearly. For the most part, I'm sure it'll be adapted if only because there is no present way of doing things at the moment, but I still wanna make a good case for myself, so I have to strap my concentration on and keep on my toes.

So that's it. That's the big to - do at this chapter in my life. This was a long time coming actually, with negotiations starting as far back as Sep. Now that I'm here, I'm all set. Wish the commute wasn't such a biggie but as with all things, I'll get used to it. It's all good.

I love how KE's hits grow ever so gradually which means two things for me: A. They're not fluke-ish, having grown regularly over a span of time (unlike, say, when a blog posts something radical which spikes its hits then drops all of a sudden), and B. Our readership is loyal and follows the site regularly. Those details along with the exponential growth given our daily updates mean that we'll be hitting 1k probably by.. oh, Jan or Feb maybe?

But enough about the sites. This is about me, me, ME!

First and foremost I'm really happy that I don't feel 40, and am frankly unsure what 40 feels like at all. There are a number of sites that give advice to '40-somethings' and these usually involve health and talk about doing things like 'lots of walking'. I just played pickup ball the other week with the neighborhood kids and I really don't think I lagged that far behind. So if being 40 means taking advice like 'walk more' from websites with geriatric looking couples on the images, then by God I should thank my lucky stars and am probably luckier than I give myself credit for.

It's very scary to take stock of one's life whatever age you may be, birthday or not, but this tends to happen when you reach milestones like this. I'm sure it'd be valid to express anything from regret to joy at achievements or on the other hand 'dis-achievements' in my life, but at this point I've realized I really don't dwell on any particular step forward nor backward, and its probably healthier that way.

For the most part, since I've turned into an adult I've lived my life trying to make the best decision available at that time. The way I see how it works is: sometimes that gets fucked up, and sometimes that works out. But before you take too much time feeling sorry for yourself or patting yourself in the back, you need to get your shit together because you're dealing with the next big decision. Regardless, the one thing you take out from it is that you've become another level smarter.

How about God? Well I really believe God gets in there a little bit, providing help in bits and pieces. But ultimately, the decision is really up to you whether you're gonna fuck your life up or not. If you find yourself in a situation you're not happy in, the only person who's gonna do something about it is yourself. You have to take stock of your life, just stop what you're doing and ask yourself if you're happy or not, and if you don't like it you have to stand up and get the fuck out. God, Buddha, or the Great Whatever Spirit In The Sky is not gonna do that for you. There's no 'lifeline', no free handouts, no big get out of jail card that you can pull out your ass ad hoc. It's just you and you alone who can determine your path.

Having had such a well - formed idea of how to live life, what then can I show for myself?

Well for the most part, I'm not unhappy. I don't find myself pining to attain some impossible goal, and the marks I set for myself are ambitious, yet realistic, attainable and are actually on their way to fruition as we speak. Oh sure I could use more money, but I think I'd be telling myself that if I was earning 10 million a month or 10 thousand, so that's a given. I thank my lucky stars that during my youth I didn't get anyone pregnant and / or was forced into marriage, because Jesus Christ if there's one thing I know for sure, it's that all my peers who went through that, to a man, is completely miserable. Oh Thank God for the fact that I'm not in a situation where I'd be cheating on my wife yet staying married 'for the good of the kids'. Living your life as a fraud is the saddest, most pathetic life of all in my book. One that no amount of material riches can heal. I could name names but that'd be pointless. I'd just say 'all of them'.

Getting by the years of immaturity unscathed is good, but what makes it an achievement is using the wisdom you learned from it to good use.

And I think I did that too, with the girl I have decided to live my life with.

For inasmuch as its important to leave situations you aren't comfortable with, it's also just as valid to stay with that which makes you feel at home.

So yeah, I think I am lucky. I think I should thank my lucky stars, and that I do not give myself enough credit. Of course, I'm saying that now, being all wrapped in the glow of my birthday with text messages pouring in. And maybe I won't feel as well when I stub my toe on the bedside or Joe my car stalls on me in the middle of C-5 at 1am.

But hey it's my birthday so I'll let myself feel good today. Today I'm a lucky guy.

Some of my favorite movies of all was of course, the movie from where that scene was taken, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, a VCD of which I can see on my top shelf right now. I bought it at one of those big VCD sales in the malls. He played the loud and fast talking Butch Cassidy to his alter ego the Sundance Kid, Robert Redford's cool character. In it was also Kathrine Ross, whom I remember for The Graduate.

Then there's Color Of Money, where he plays an aging pool player who decides to teach a pool genius played by Tom Cruise how to hustle, also in it was a very hot Elizabeth Mastrantonio (who I remember as Al Pacino's younger sister (?) in Scarface. Anyway, Tom Cruise, as usual, disappeared in this film, but the scene I remember most was when Newman's character realized he still had game in him, and wanted to play Cruise's character for real - not for money. A terrific character that went from smug forgotten hustler to determined pool player, wanting to get back into a game he pretends to use for money but he actually really loves.

There are other roles I liked, such as Tom Hank's boss in Road To Perdition, and I distinctly remember his character in The Hot Tin Roof, the only Elizabeth Taylor movie I know (he plays his wife), where he plays, to the best of my knowledge (I was a kid then), a sad character obsessed with football, who remembers plays and in a scene, was explaining them to his disinterested but concerned wife. Whenever I realize I get too obsessed with basketball, I remember Paul Newman's character in Hot Tin Roof.

I remember him most though, for the 1982 'The Verdict'. A movie that for the longest time I thought was a Grisham book because it had a lawyer as the central character, until I realized lately that Grisham wouldve been in high school then or something.

Anyway, Newman again plays a boozing down and out character, and because of the film I understood what an ambulance chaser was. His character goes to funerals of people he doesn't know and offers his services, in one scene he gets kicked violently out because of. I can't remember the details much anymore, but at the end of the movie, the phone was ringing of the hook in his office, while he stretched back in his chair just letting it. I remember asking someone older what that meant, after which it was explained to me that he was 'made' already, after having won a big case which didn't have a chance. I began to be aware and look for similar scenes in movies after that, where stories were written for people who take the time to think, rather than have things spoonfed.

Strangely enough, such movies have dwindled rather than flourished over the years, and so The Verdict stands as a movie that symbolizes the 'they don't make movies like they used to' phrase we all hear far too often.

Such is the case I suppose for people like Paul Newman. I highly doubt we'll see others of even the same calibre as he anymore. I am sorry to see him go. I will enjoy his movies always.

Last week I caught one about how Pinoys like music so much and how it is so ingrained in our culture. A few minutes ago I just finished another one about eco - tourism in places like Bohol and some island I can't remember. Both times weren't fawnish or critical in any way. The music one covered showbands and young people joining and getting into bands to use as tickets to find gigs abroad, while at the same time featuring people like Charice Pempengco and a band or two that were into it purely for love of music. They even featured a tv channel in Cebu which shows old people singing ancient Bisaya songs live in a tone and pace unfamiliar to me and dissimilar to Kundiman. People just call a number flashed on the screen for requests and they oblige.

The more recent one I just finished discussed the near wasteland the Rice Terraces were turning out to be because their young people preferred working elsewhere or in tourism related jobs, effectively eroding the reason why tourists went there in the first place.

The second part of the same documentary featured a beautiful island somewhere (I didn't get the name) and a mangrove forest in Bohol, both excellent examples of eco - tourism featuring a community that lovingly and painstakingly took care of the rich environment around them, which in turn took care of them by providing for their needs as well as allowed for sustainable tourism.

There are two things I take away from all this. First is that the old adage about how we tend to trust foreigners more than we do our own countrymen is blatantly true in this case. These documentaries aren't National Geographic material. They are low budget and possibly funded by the Korean government, likely to help Korean Nationals in the country learn more about this place.

Given the budget look and feel, if I didn't know any better I would assume they were Philippine government funded and instantly ignore them, which is probably why it took awhile for me to start paying attention as I have. A documentary done here, see, would feature some actor dressed as a farmer, soldier, teacher or some such hapless victim singing praises for Gloria every five minutes, and in consideration for my health and desire not to throw the TV out the window, the best course of action is to avoid these immediately.

Seeing these aren't therefore, is almost like a breath of fresh air. The people they talked to, complete with translations, are completely ordinary Filipinos living their daily lives all over the country. The idea that I was watching something that was completely real is amazing, almost unbelievable really. It wasn't dramatized, cheapened or made to look anything else other than what it was, and it appealed to me no end. It reminded me of Tiaong, Quezon. It was real.

The second thing I take from this, after having been subjected to that reality, is this: That we who live in the city are by far, a great deal poorer than those people who live in that small Bohol town planting mangroves.

Over here, we stress about money, our things, pollution, our health, social status, consider living abroad and all other idiocy. Over there, their lives revolve around taking care of that beautiful, life - sustaining forest that stretches from into the land and way out to the sea.

Where here we spend thousands of time and money to find things to amuse us, over there they find fulfillment in fish spawning eggs underneath the mangrove trees, assuring the growth of another generation. While we question the quality of our food and the air we breathe, learn about anti - oxidants and eye what we take in our bodies with suspicion, over there they feast on fresh oysters of different varieties, shrimp, various fishes and vegetables picked fresh from the trees, plants and water around them. They take just what they need to make sure there is more for them the next day.

I'm not saying I'm packing up and moving over there asap. But it has got me thinking. I'm gonna watch a few more of those documentaries to find out. But as of now, I'm thinking as long as I get internet, I can probably live anywhere, so why not over there? Thanks, strangely enough, to a Korean docu.

Whew what a mouthful. 'Nyway here he is.

Seriously, Piven is perfectly cast in this brilliant character. Completely fictional of course (no one can come up with those one-liners on their feet), but still steals the show. Every moment he's on the screen he owns the TV.

And Season 3 (which I'm right into) confirmed what the viewers were only given a glimpse of previously - that he is a family man and loves his wife. That inspite of the most ridiculously self - serving, arrogant and abrasive attitude you've ever seen, he speaks truth and comes from the right foundation.

I'm not even gonna get into how blah the other characters are. To do so would be to make excuses for them. Only thing I can say is the onus is on the other actors to perform well enough without Piven erasing them off the screen, and the writers writing good enough stuff that won't make the other characters' personas disappear into the background.

Watching Ari Gold get his shit together is inspiring and teaches you a thing or two. Watch Jeremy Piven perform a role so perfect for him is like watching Michael Jordan at his peak winning championships. It is a rare privilege that makes you feel lucky to see it.

Title is from 6:13 in the video.

Then again, you can also say that it was 15 songs just right.

Just like real life, it really is all up to you. And when the announcement was made (at exactly 10:14PM) that they weren't gonna continue, I could sense that people were trying to make up their minds exactly which side it would be. Too little? Just enough?

I dunno.

I love the 'heads. Their songs will always be a part of me, wherever I go, whatever I do for the remainder of my life.

Hearing each song was wonderful. Knowing that it was probably the last time I'd hear those songs live again added so much weight to the whole thing. You had to absorb, listen to and sing along each and every song. Easily live through the memories. Suddenly remember the sights, smells and feel of that era when the 'heads were making hits. When they just made songs because they were songwriters and you just listened to them because you loved them, gleefully ignorant of any internal strife. When everything was right with the world.

Knowing now that's not gonna happen anymore, I think I'm happier now and can put that era to rest.

The people older than us had to do this when their own idols for some reason or another had to stop what they were doing. There really is not getting past it, and no doubt the newer generation will have to deal with that too.

I will now put the 'heads into the past. And while I do so, I'll take the road more positive. It was 15 songs just right. I'm happy with that.

No that's not me. It's part of the press release pics.

This was my second time to do this. Racing really is a thinking sport more than anything. The harder you try, the slower you get. It was actually very physical for me, and I was drenched in sweat from concentration and effort - which was a sure sign I was doing it wrong.

Anyway, will write about it for one of my sites soon.

Above is my sad, dead PC, about to be rejuvenated. I can work on it from where it is so I didn't pull it down.

So first I proceeded to remove the old power supply.

Off it goes.

And here's the new one.

Compared to the old one. The old one's still ok. Need to find a use for that.

Then I pull out the old mobo. As easy as it looks.

I try to remember where every cable goes to for later. These things can get tricky.

And finally, le piece de resistance. Unboxing my new Asus M2N-MX SE Plus Mobo.

There it is. Two PCI slots, two SATA slots, Socket AM2+, Nvidia chipset, DDR2 1066, 10/100, etc. etc.

And there is my PC casing, mobo - less, ready to be mobo - fied!

But first, lets slap in the new power supply.

...

...

as well as that new tin plate that goes out to the back..

I install the processor beforehand. Need to be careful with this, so better do it on my desk.

And there it is. An AMD 64 Athlon, Socket AM2, LE-1640. Pretty run of the mill these days. But I'm going for reliability and its more than adequate for my needs.

So anyway we proceed with the unboxing!

.. and the unboxing..

.. ok we got the fan..

.. and more unboxing..

.. jeez how many trees do these people cut down for their packaging?

So there it is, the processor and the fan.

A better look at the pins.

Here's the bottom of the fan, with that pasty white substance it needs for cooling. DO NOT touch that.

Ok this part you need to do quickly to avoid dust (yes I washed my hands first). There's a hinge on the side of that white area where the processor's gonna get slapped in. You'll need to pull it upwards like this.

At a corner of that white area is a place lacking a pinhole, with a triangle that stands out. The processor also has a corresponding corner with that gold triangle. You need to match the two.

So you align the two, and just slap that in there nice and tight.

Then proceed to swing the lever downwards, snapping it in.

.. like so..

.. and lock it in place.

There it is, locked in place. Kinda like a safety pin.

Now for the fan! Match it against those black locks at either end.

Here's one end. You start with this.

Here's the other, with a lever. You put this in last. Once you get the lock to go one side, get the other lock to go in this way.

After which you swing the lever from one end..

.. to the other, like this. It looks complicated, but trust me it was waaaay harder back in the day, without these levers. You had to use a flat screwdriver and lots of muscle, risking slippage and driving a gaping hole straight into your motherboard.

That big black fan needs power, so here's where you plug it in.

Tada!

Now to get it in there.

There are screw holes on the mobo and corresponding ones where the old mobo was. It's just a matter of finding them and screwing it in using the old screws.

like here..

.. and here.

There's a big black 24 pin power cable from the power supply to the mobo. Slap that in.

And now, the RAM. A Corsair 1gb. DDR2 667MHz piece. My mobo will take up to 4gb., but the farthest I forsee myself buying is 2gb. in the next year or so. Maybe not even if it's fast enough.

Slap that in Slot A1 (or something like that). It's usually the slot closest to the processor. At least for Asus mobos, dunno about others.

It's only got one PATA slot, the computer industry's attempt to get us to move to (useless) SATA. I have a PATA hard disk and DVD-RW, so I slap that in.

There's also a power cable from the power supply going to an area near it. I really don't know what it's for, but the power supply manual (yes I read the manuals), says I should or it won't even start. So I do it.

And now the tricky part (we're almost finished)! The dreaded front end power button, LED hard dish and power lights, reset button and USB connections.

Dreaded because each tiny pin cable is individual and has no relation to the other, so you can easily mix this up and FRY YOUR MOBO. I'm not kidding. The reason they're all apart is because PC Casings are all different, so they can't standardize.

I have to get these..

.. to connect here..

.. following these instructions. I get it right eventually, but it wasn't easy.

And now the finishing touches! The all - important stickers!

To prove to one and all who enter my work area (like, a nephew or two), that I am using an Asus board with an Athlon 64 Processor! Fear Me! (yes those other stickers are from other PCs I've set up. There are more on the front of the PC).

Now for a little cleaning.

Make sure everything's bright and shiny, to welcome in the new mobo. Then a deep breath... and..

It Works!

.. everything looks alright..

Everyone say hello to Kubuntu 8.04 LTS!

And we start our installation journey.

And with that, ends this picture story. Obviously its working now, since I'm using it to write this post!

It runs Vista, which is funny because at the start of this month, I started out to use Ubuntu. After trying out the Chief's Nvidia 7300 GL video card, which he kindly sold to me for a much discounted sum, I then tried my hand at Kubuntu. Then before you know it, I am now using Vista. The PR folks at Microsoft couldn't possibly write better copy than that.

At any rate, my mobo fried not because of aforementioned venture into other Operating Systems, but plainly and purely because it's old. As in old, slapped full of band-aids old, and had been teetering along the edges of the foreboding abyss of wherever dead motherboards go for years. I credit my own McGyver like skills for keeping it alive all these years, but even my desperation inspired abilities to revive old things has its limits. Once I inserted the new vidcard, it caused a mobo heart attack, and slowly went in the ICU.

And now, it is a hunking dead piece of metal, its spirit no doubt freely surfing in in that big motherboard heaven in the sky. A better place for my long suffering mobo.

A review of Dagny is probably forthcoming, knowing how I like doing that sort of thing. Same as well for Vista, which inspite of what people might think, I've never really had a problem about. I actually *gasp* kind of like it, and understand why MS made it the way it is. But then again I've not used it for long, so we'll see.

Also, gotta buy a new mobo, AMD processor and RAM in the next week or two. I've been checking and it doesn't appear to be as painful to the wallet as I thought it'd be, or at least, way less than it used to be.

Later then. For now, back to work.

At a place I can wholeheartedly recommend BUT wholeheartedly NOT recommend at the same time.

Wait for my review at Kikay :)