Emergency Homework Always Sucks

To batch 2013:

Here is your pile of homework. Print and study the handouts and answer all exercises. You are required to have your own copy next Monday. PLEASE MAKE SURE EVERYONE HEARS ABOUT THIS, ESPECIALLY THOSE WHO DO NOT HAVE EMAIL FOR SOME REASON.In this day and age, there is no reason you should not have one. The first link is in .docx format and will only work for Office 2007. The second link is in the old .doc format and will work for any version of Word.

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The handout should be 10 pages long.  You have 5 days to obtain a hard copy of this (printed) and answer all the exercises. No excuses will be accepted.

3 of 3: Learning How to Cook

My brother, a chef-in-training, left the country last night for his internship in a hotel in Kuala Lumpur. Since he began studying the culinary arts, he’s many a spectacular lunch, and I’ve never had the chance to return the favor.

Now that he’s away, I had to face the reality of being forced to eat cafeteria food again. Now I typically do not enjoy Filipino food, and the fast food alternative is not particularly healthy. Only one option was left: learn how to cook.

I have absolutely no formal training. I’ve never even really gone to any class or certificate course. I just figured I might have the genes for it somehow: if my dad and brother could cook, maybe I could too.

This afternoon, I realized that nobody else could cook the food I wanted, so I had to come up with something I’d actually eat.

Thankfully, yesterday morning I saw French Food at Home on AFC, and one dish they had in particular was doable with the ingredients at hand: pea soup.

All I did was throw in two cups of frozen peas into the blender with some water (about half a cup or so) and pureed it until it had some semblance of being liquid–just enough to pour it. The result was kind of chunky, but I thought it would be more interesting that way.

Pour that into a saucepan and mix in half a cup of fresh milk to liquefy it further. Keep stirring to mix the milk evenly and to keep the chunks from sinking to the bottom. Add salt and pepper to taste.

For a smoother texture, use less peas and more milk, or run the peas through the blender more. (Our blender was malfunctioning, so I didn’t get to use it properly.) Serve with croutons or bread. (I had half a French baguette and some extra virgin olive oil to go with it. )

So uh, I guess it was alright. Pretty filling for soup, and definitely easy to make. Excellent for those lonely, rainy Sunday nights.

2 of 3: Diabolical Dust Bunnies of DOOM

Two Sundays ago, the day before I went back to work, I sat down at Starbucks to enjoy an afternoon of D&D study.

Instead, I was horrified to see that my core temperature reading was skyrocketing a few minutes after I turned on my laptop. There was no air coming out of the exhaust at all, despite my dad having vacuumed it just a few weeks prior.

Nothing I did stopped the frightening display. The temperature hit 80 degrees Celsius, and kept going. To prevent a meltdown, I pulled the plug.

I texted my father, and he replied: “Time to bring it to Acer.”

Without a car and time, I wouldn’t be able to go to the service center. Even worse, I’ve heard horror stories about how long our local service center took.

Since I had nothing to lose (warranty was expired anyway), I decided to take a knife screwdriver to my laptop and see what was going on inside.

I bought a cheap set of multi-bit screwdrivers and easily found my way into my laptop’s innards.

True enough, the fan seemed to be stuck. I tried spinning it a bit, and it yielded after a while. Then I discovered why it was stuck.

Lodged in the space between the heat sink housing and the vent was the most monstrous dust bunny I’ve ever seen. It wasn’t anything like the cute gray fluffballs you find under couches.

This one, as you can see, was black, fibrous, dense, and spongy. As I used my Swiss knife’s tweezers to pull it out, it stretched and stretched and did not even break.

It took me about 5 minutes of intense concentration to pull the whole thing out.

True enough, when I tried turning my laptop on again, the fan began spinning without problems. This simple operation saved the pile of time, money and heartache that is usually associated with computer difficulties.

Take note that my laptop is already over 2 and a half years old and has never been repaired. Furthermore, the environment both at work and at home is extremely dusty and polluted. Finally, my laptop’s construction (Acer Aspire 5102WLMi) has a cooling system that is quite open and loose. By comparison, my mother’s laptop (a Twinhead) has a tightly-sealed fan housing, which keeps most dust out.

In any case, this is only recommended if your laptop’s warranty has expired and you have nothing to lose by trying.

1 of 3: One Good Reason to Go to Baguio

This is an old post that dates back to May 27th, so the time references are a bit off. Not bothering to rewrite this as I’m going to be spamming entries tonight.

*begin*

Being required to go on seminars is generally a good thing. Of course it largely depends on the program. Some provide ample time for r&r. Others don’t.

This one in particular was of the latter kind, so after a largely difficult and frustratingly boring day of talks and seminars, I got the bright idea of skipping the hotel dinner and walking to Baguio’s 50s Diner with my co-teachers Arghs and Martin.

Martin had introduced us to the place in passing on our first day. He said it was one of the Summer Capital’s great old landmarks, and that visiting it was always a must when in Baguio. At first we didn’t think we would have a chance to go there, but yesterday was such a wallbanger that I felt some exercise (any walking in Baguio is) and comfort food was in order.

The place didn’t look like it aged well, so I have to voice my initial apprehension. I ordered the generic, trusted and true cheeseburger. And I was pleasantly surprised.

The burger was huge, and it wasn’t just an oversize bun. The bread wasn’t dry or scorched–Its crown yielded with a crunch under just the right pressure. Initial visual inspection showed that the plate wasn’t flooded with 46362728 French fries, unlike the common diner burgers we get at popular restaurants of the same style. The fried were wedges and were neither salty nor oily. There weren’t that many, but do you order burgers for the fries? In fact, I think that the less fries they serve, the better. Sometimes the fry flood seems to serve to disguise the burger’s lack of size.

The patty itself was far larger than most patties I’d eaten. It was definitely larger than the Jollibee champ’s 1/3 pounder. It was juicy and definitely made of real meat–no extenders. The cheese was great. Immediately I recognized its taste as similar to the cheese that Pancake House uses for its grilled cheese, which I think is one of the best (if most expensive) grilled cheese sandwiches I’ve had.

And that’s about it. Seriously, what else do you need in a burger apart from the bread, cheese and patty? They did have cucumber, tomato and onion slices on the side, but those aren’t the stars.

Okay, so it’s a good burger. There are a lot of good burgers in Manila. Beat this: it costs 90 pesos.

Bon appetit.

Rock Solid

It’s already been a while since I joined our church’s kids camp as a counselor. It was tiring, at times frustrating, but ultimately rewarding.

This summer, I’ve learned how to be less of a morning person. This is relatively speaking, of course: I learned how to wake up at 7 am instead of 5 am. However, getting up in time for the 6 am departure for RCC shocked me back into waking up early once more.

Getting up and sleeping early weren’t the sources of fatigue, though: reigning in kids who so badly wanted to explore the grounds, joining the extremely challenging Night Safari/tiger race, holding hotdogs up to a roaring bonfire, and a couple of frenetic hours spent in the worship concert night were. Squeeze all of those into three days and two nights and you’ve got TIRED written all over your face–and even then the work of policing rambunctious 11 year olds is still not over–not until the parents come pick them up. Tiring, yes. But it’s a GOOD tiring.

Ah, frustrations. Try taking a handful of fish food and throwing it in a wide, scattered swath into a pond full of hungry fish. Then try to grab them and make them follow you.

These kids are full of energy, and there’s almost no cynicism in them. Thus swings the double edged sword of wide-eyed wonder. They’re so curious, so willing to share their experiences, and so uninhibited by the reticence that comes with adolescence that controlling them is extremely difficult. It doesn’t help that the environment is full of fearful and wonderful distractions.
At the end of the day, though, you feel that they genuinely respect and love you. There is no veneer of doing the polite and acceptable thing—they just show they really like you. It’s frustrating, but it’s a GOOD frustration.

Now one can see why it’s rewarding. It’s not rewarding or fulfilling in spite of, it’s rewarding because of.  I feel the Lord’s pleasure when I do His work, and His joy is mine.

Rethinking

I haven’t been posting a lot lately. Mostly because I don’t know what to write here anymore.

There’s a lot to rant about, but I don’t feel like ranting much anymore. I feel that writing about the misery of life here is pointless; I just drag people into my personal troubles and, to some extent, throw it into the fan.

It’s easy to write about geekiness, video games, anime, and the random curiosities of life. There’s little emotional commitment; I just put together my opinion and throw it on here. The “Drizzt in Magic” entry is testament to this—I just spent an entire afternoon thinking about translating game mechanics from Dungeons & Dragons to Magic: The Gathering, and already I get a lot of readers.

On the other hand, it seems that no matter how much I argue my points about card design and game mechanics, people just don’t seem to care. They all have their preconceived notions of how awesome (or how underwhelming) Drizzt Do’Urden is. It’s amazing to see just how strongly people feel about a guy who doesn’t even exist. The sad part is that this entry draws the most Google hits. Should I be thankful for this? Do people bother to click on my archives and read my other entries? Doesn’t look like it.

Ultimately, I don’t really know why I write such things. I can’t even remember why I wasted a whole afternoon thinking about card design for a game I don’t play anymore.

Writing about my angst is another easy thing to do. It almost feels like a Sith Lord exercise of some kind. I just ruminate on the events of the day and summon up just how badly I feel about the things that happened, and kind of throw it up here, like a kind of autoinduced existential diarrhea. Easy to start—just swallow one nasty event—but hard to stop. I could just rant on and on and on about how oppressed I feel or how unjust humanity is or how ignorant people can get.

What’s the point, though? Do I want empathy? Do I want support? Or do I just want to get a load off my chest?

Doing so seems to do nothing more but project a negative aura and scare people away. I don’t know exactly how many people I know read my blog, but maybe it’s helped cast a bad light on my own character or mental state, or simply make people feel bad.

It seems that I need to rethink what I want to post here, exactly. My posting has gone down dramatically over the past year or so. I don’t think it’s because there was nothing to write about; this year brought an unhealthy amount of rant-worthy scandals. I wasn’t that busy, all things considered.

I don’t want to abandon this blog; I’m just not the kind of person who leaves things hanging. I want to continue posting.

I have a month more to think.

A Farewell Slightly Too Late

About two weeks have passed since PSHS Batch 2009 graduated. I still haven’t said goodbye.

I seem to have lost a lot of my eloquence recently, so I’ll let Angela Aki say it for me.

Here’s a translation of the lyrics:

Dear you,
Who’s reading this letter
Where are you and what are you doing now?

For me who’s 15 years old
There are seeds of worries I can’t tell anyone

If it’s a letter addressed to my future self,
Surely I can confide truly to myself

Now, it seems that I’m about to be defeated and cry
For someone who’s seemingly about to disappear
Whose words should I believe in?
This one-and-only heart has been broken so many times
In the midst of this pain, I live the present

Dear you,
Thank you
I have something to tell the 15-year-old you

If you continue asking what and where you should be going
You’ll be able to see the answer

The rough seas of youth may be tough
But row your boat of dreams on
Towards the shores of tomorrow

Now, please don’t be defeated and please don’t shed a tear
During these times when you’re seemingly about to disappear
Just believe in your own voice
For me as an adult, there are sleepless nights when I’m hurt
But I’m living the bittersweet present

There’s meaning to everything in life
So build your dreams without fear
Keep on believing

Seems like I’m about to be defeated and cry
For someone who’s seemingly about to disappear
Whose words should I believe in?

Please don’t be defeated and please don’t shed a tear
During these times when you’re seemingly about to disappear
Just believe in your own voice

No matter era we’re in
There’s no running away from sorrow
So show your smile, and go on living the present
Go on living the present

Dear you,
Who’s reading this letter
I wish you happiness…

I’ll be honest with you, 09. You were difficult to handle. You were often annoying, loud, and green-minded. But you’re honest people. You’re true to yourself. Continue to be that way. Continue to think out of the box. Keep on believing.

The Lord bless you and keep you;
The Lord make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you;
The Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace.

numbers 6:24-26

Singapore Swag

I’ve got three days left in Singapore, but thankfully I’ve accomplished most of what I’ve set out to do.

I got here last Friday and already my money is running low—-but I’ve purchased the following:

Magic Item Compendium and Monster Manual 3 Cost Sg$66.10, while Red Hand of Doom cost about Sg$45.

All of these books were impossible to find in the Philippines,  and it seemed like no hobby store was interested in restocking their 3.5 material–which is probably why Neutral Grounds has all its 3.5 books at 60% off. This is of course due to Wotsie being a tad too overconfident about 4E’s sales. I’m sticking to v. 3.5 for a while. Probably 10 more years. Then we’ll see what 5th Ed looks like.

I also got these three collectible figurines. Rossiu and Yomako-sensei figumates from Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann (left and right, respectively), and Kusuha Mizuha (center) from Super Robot Wars Alpha 3. I wanted to get the Yoko Nendoroid, but its $60 price tag made me remember that my money was intended for purchasing D&D books. These figures were of the random sort that you get inside sealed boxes.

One other particularly interesting thing I saw was this replica of the evil Warcraft III sword Frostmourne by Caesar’s. The outlet was closed, but they had their sword on display in the window, so I decided to snap a shot with my phone camera.

Purchases aside, it’s pretty awesome to have almost my entire dad’s side family here. It isn’t often that we get to spend much time with each other, and having them all here makes things pretty cool.

Dave Arneson

Just last year, Gary Gygax, the co-creator of Dungeons & Dragons, passed away. Now, it seems that his partner, Dave Arneson, won’t last much longer. His cancer has taken a turn for the worse, and the doctors aren’t giving him much time. It will be a shame to see this man go, but I think the Lord has better things in mind for him. It’s known that both of these men have become Christians, so I know their lives are in the good Lord’s hands.

Still, I offer my prayers for Mr. Arneson’s health. Maybe a miracle might happen.

Summer Checklist

I’m still two days from finishing work for this school year, but I sure am glad it’s that close. Too much drama has been happening at school lately. My opinions on the matter have been aired (I don’t think those people should be graduating, but I do feel sorry for them and regret that this had to happen; honestly the BOT should’ve just stuck to policy instead of trying to be compromising—err, “compassionate.”) and now I just want to get away from all the scandals and get my well-deserved relaxation.

So here’s my summer checklist:

Places to Go:

-Singapore. I’m visiting my father in Singapore this Friday, and although we won’t be there for long, I do miss my family there and also look forward to bonding with that side.
-The Beach. Honestly, I can’t stand an entire summer spent at home. Arghs is planning a trip, but we don’t know where yet.

Books to Buy and Read:

-Inkdeath. The final book in Cornelia Funke’s Ink trilogy is out, and it sure took a while (probably due to translation). Inkheart was dark and heavy, Inkspell even moreso. I don’t know what to expect from Inkdeath, but I want to finish what I started.

-Eberron Campaign Setting. I’m not just about to go into 4E D&D and want to own actual copies of these books. As of last Christmas I heard the ECS is still available in Singapore, so I want to go check it out.

-D&D 3.5 Monster Manual III. See above.

-D&D 3.5 Magic Item Compendium. See above. Some books are just much better references in hard copy.

Anime to Watch

-Gundam 00 Season 2. While I heard it got weird toward the end in the same way that Code Geass R2 became weird, I think it’s still worth watching.

-Koutetsushin Jeeg. I started this a long time ago but failed to finish it.

-Pumpkin Scissors. See above. I ran out of disk space.

Things to Do

-Play D&D. Yes! I am finally going to play D&D during the summer! I’m starting my campaign, which mostly follows the Red Hand of Doom adventure in Mid-April. The campaign journal is already up!

-Take working out seriously again. Although I haven’t been musing weeks of working out, I have missed days of working out and I’ve felt quite a bit weaker. I’m glad I still haven’t gained any weight back, however. Stupid odd schedules.

Of course, things can change and I might always add things to this list. I do think that this is going to be a rather enjoyable summer.

Things Have to be Said

I wish I could go more into detail, but let’s just say the general feeling I have towards the world right now echo the words of the prophet Habakkuk. I wish this guy got more attention–a lot of his complaints in his book are things I’m sure most of us can identify with in this crazy world.

How long, O LORD, must I call for help, but you do not listen?

Or cry out to you, “Violence!” but you do not save?

Why do you make me look at injustice? Why do you tolerate wrong? Destruction and violence are before me; there is strife, and conflict abounds.

Therefore the law is paralyzed, and justice never prevails. The wicked hem in the righteous, so that justice is perverted.

–Habakkuk 1:2-4

I’m going to write more about Habakkuk in the days to come.