For the fifth time in just 4 months, I lost my debit card. Yet again. I don't know why suddenly I keep losing it. And it's not like it's free, there's a hundred baht charge for every replacement and it's an inconvenience to have to visit the bank.
Sure I've lost a card back in the Philippines, but five freaking times? And every time, I find out about it when I am about to pay for something at the counter. Luckily, I have an extra ATM card with me this time to save me from embarrassment.
What is the matter with me! I'm furious with my stupid self.
If you have a Twitter account, please tell me so i can follow you. I'm feeling homesick all the time and I would love to check out what all my friends, enemies and acquaintances are up to. :-)
Mine's at twitter.com/jessemonggo. Check out the line above the blog header, my status also shows up there.
I got myself a gift: a 2 GB DDR2-667 RAM for my notebook. For just 1,800 Baht (2K pesos)! I'm telling you, tech stuff are pretty cheap in Thailand.
For many weeks I had been salivating for that cool technology called Windows Vista that pretty much lights up a notebook display with transparency and 3D effects also known as Aero but I couldn't have it unless I upgrade my lowly 512MB RAM.
My system is an Acer Aspire 4310 notebook which I bought at Paragon mall here in Bangkok. It's one of the inexpensive notebooks around at just 17K Baht (21K pesos), would you believe? Acer introduced this model as entry-level, but methinks nu-uh. Tell me if you consider these features "entry-level":
- Built-in 1.3 megapixel Crystal Eye videocamera - 1.73 GHz Intel Celeron M processor (okay, this one's entry-level) - 512MB DDR2 533 MHz memory, upgradeable to 4GB using two soDIMM modules (dual-channel support) - Mobile Intel 943 GML Express Chipset - 14.1" widescreen WXGA TFT LCD screen with Acer CrystalBrite technology - Intel graphics media accelerator 950 - 120GB SATA hard drive - 802.11 b/g Wi-Fi (WLAN) - 5 in 1 built-in card reader for SD, MMC, xD, Memory Stick and Memory Stick PRO - Dolby digital surround sound - Bluetooth 2.0+EDR - 8X DVD-Super Multi double layer drive (DVD/CD writer) - 4 USB 2.0 ports - S-video port - 6-cell battery with Acer chargeboost (80% complete in 1 hour)
Impressive, don't you think? The only thing entry-level in its specifications is the Intel Celeron 512MB processor! But even that is okay, I mean, you're only gonna need dual-core processors if you're going to run extremely resource-hungry graphics and visualization apps. (I did a wee bit of a research on the net and I realized that different countries may offer different specifications. In the Philippines, for example, the 4310's got no Bluetooth device and features a 1.6 GHz processor only.)
Now here's an interesting tidbit. Acer introduced this baby to the market in August of 2007, but after just some few months, it stopped the sale of the 4310s and replaced it instead with Aspire 4315. Now you would think it's an upgrade but it's actually not. The Aspire 4315 has only 80 GB of hard drive, no Bluetooth, only 3 USB ports and no Dolby sound feature. And to add salt to injury, even its casing doesn't look as good as the 4310's; it looks too... plastic. The 4310 is plastic-based too but it just looks and feels better. In Thailand, the 4315 is sold also at 17K Baht.
Now I have a theory on what happened. I think that Acer realized that they had sold the 4310 for a very cheap price (considering its very good specs) which might cause a setback in the sales of its more expensive line of notebooks, so they had to "undo" their mistake and offer a downgraded version for the same price. When I bought my 4310 at Paragon Mall during a computer fair, it sold like hotcakes. I'm not kidding. That was one of the times when I didn't regret my impulse purchases. ;-)
So anyways, going back to my original story. Yes, I am now enjoying Windows Vista on my system, and with the 2GB RAM, performance is very good. To date I haven't experienced any errors or freezes or anything of that sort. My system boots as fast as XP too, ready to use in about a minute - even with 3 anti-virus applications set to start automatically. I've installed all the Vista updates and hotfixes that Microsoft offers in its website, even the Service Pack 1 RC Refresh, to make sure my system runs like a king. I hope though that the service pack isn't gonna cause problems because it's technically still in beta. I really like the Vista interface, it's so intuitive and looks really cool. And I switch between windows every chance I get if only to use the cool 3D flip feature, hehe.
Of course, Vista is not perfect but let's say that as of now I don't regret upgrading.
Tips before you install Vista:
- It's a no-brainer: upgrage your RAM - Do a clean install (don't "upgrade" your OS, replace it completely) - Choose to format (and erase) your drive to minimize any problem - You might like to create a partition in your hard drive to store permanent files - For Acer users, there's usually no need to install additional drivers since Vista pretty much provides all. But should you need to, check out the Acer website - Dont fret if your camera won't initially work with Yahoo Messenger. Just download and install Acer Bison camera driver and ta-dah, problem solved.
Time for another round of checking how people get to my blog.
Somebody googles to know if 50 pesos is enough for a high school student in the Philippines... and lands on my blog. Whoever you are, the answer is- Its depends. Its dependot.
Somebody searches for oompah-loompah haircut... and lands on my blog. Like, what the hell?
Somebody googles "she had sex with jesse mccartney"... and lands on my blog. Must be someone trying to verify her bestfriend's story.
Somebody searches for a Golden Myanmar girl... and lands on my blog. I too would like to find a Golden Myanmar girl.
I thought it was going to be another end of the world story, but that monster. That freak monster. It looked like how a spawn of Godzilla and Grendel would look like. What's behind the name anyway, can somebody tell me? I'm too lazy to google it.
Except for the Filipino couple at the eighth floor I don't know any other living soul in my apartment.
Now you have to realize this is very different from where I come from. Back in my 'hood in Zamboanga City, everybody knew each other.
Welcome to Boa, San Jose road. Population, approximately 500. Let me walk you through my childhood neighborhood.
Right in front of our house lived an old grandmother and her grandchildren, Day-Day and Night-Night. I never found out what their real names were. I remember my siblings and I ganging up on Night-Night one day because she told us that she liked our dad and asked us if he could be her dad as well. She never had a father figure as she and her sister were born out of wedlock. My siblings and I were childish and stupid and should never have told Night-Night we would kill her if she stole our father from us. From the bottom of my heart, I'm sorry, Night-Night.
A few yards away from our house lived the Husseins. They are a Muslim bunch with a wicked sense of humor- they named one of their kids Saddam, so this kid's full name is Saddam Hussein. All of the Hussein kids are nurses. Right next to the Husseins is another Muslim family that always played mahjong. Once they caused a big fuss when they caught a thief in their house. They beat the guy up, and then tied him to a tree for a few hours before calling the cops. Poor thief was stripped naked. In that same house lived Neng. Neng had a retarded son, Jordan, whom she gave up when he was born. She gave him up to her own mother, Nida, who lived just a few blocks away. Nida raised Jordan as her own.
The children's playground in Boa is at the Laygan's compound. It's a large open space where we would ride our bikes around, play tag and hold our little gang meetings. Two of the Laygan kids are Chet and Clark. Chet liked Mimie of the Hussein family. One time, to express his affection for Mimie, Chet told Mimie to hold out her palm, and then he spit on it.
The most famous person in our neighborhood would be Zeny, a well-respected lady who worked as a radio announcer. She was very articulate in Chavacano, and also very active in the church. She and some other devout Catholics would usually hold some Bible-sharing activities in the neighborhood. One day it was held in our house and my siblings and I were taken aback when Zeny started speaking in tongues.
We had a gay neighbor named Pendong. Pendong had a live-in boyfriend named Ricky. One day the entire neighborhood woke up to the loud moans of Pendong. There was a huge commotion because Pendong had slashed his wrists. Apparently Ricky left him for Annie, who incidentally, lived right next to them. Ricky and Annie eventually got married. Annie is one of the ten children of Betty. I went to elementary and high school with another one of Betty's kids, Globy. I had actually blogged about Betty before, if you remember. She was the one who would come to our house to chat with my aunt Leonor. On one occasion, Betty narrated how she was lured and uhm, "abused" by some guy in Palau when she went there for a vacation. Betty's husband worked in Palau as a carpenter.
Pendong's brother is Kindal, a feared drug addict and alcholic. He was always nuts and would sometimes threaten my oldest aunt when he was high. When he was not under the influence however, he would plead with my aunt for leftover food.
A short distance away lived Fran and her husband Ramon who worked as a career soldier in the army. While Fran's husband was from the Armed Forces of the Philippines, her brother on the other hand was a member of the communist group New People's Army. But that was never a problem. There's peace and brotherly love in our quaint little neighborhood.
***
When I was 12 we moved out of Boa to a small village in San Roque road. It's a boring neighborhood, save for that one time when we found a dead woman's body thrown into the bushes.
I called in sick because of a bad cold. My personal policy is when I feel a sickness coming, I call it a day and have a good rest to keep it from progressing into something worse. I just cannot afford to be sick by myself, you know. I can hear my mom's words ringing in my ears... "Si nicicita contigo lleva na ospital, quien puede ayuda? Si ya desma tu? Quien corre busca ayuda?"
By late afternoon I feel better and decide to download some music and watch some movies on televsion.
Suddenly on HBO I hear Tagalog words being spoken. Will Arnett storms a pharmacy store and an Asian pharmacist mistakes him for a thief. "Nandito na naman sila!" he screams, while his wife goes for a shotgun. But the couple weren't really Filipino; they were supposed to be Korean, and the English subtitles were just wrong. Maybe it was an inside joke.
But nonetheless, another Philippine reference alert, my friends. ;-)
Happy birthday to me Happy birthday to me Happy birthday, happy birthday Happy birthday to me.
Sherry is right. It's expensive to be lonely.
A moment of silence for my reliable Creative mp3 player. It has served its purpose well since that fateful day I entered a Walmart store in Houston and decided to buy it. Now it will be used solely as my flash drive.
Gotta set my sights on something new, I guess. Or maybe I'll try again. I asked her out to dinner and her answer was can't, next time. I am still going to have my frigging dinner, though.
***
So anyway, I had a birthday. In the morning, my officemates surprised me with a cake and a birthday song right after our department meeting. I was beaming and didn't expect it, really. They turned off the lights for effects and when I blew the candles I wished for- well, Im not supposed to tell, am I? They also gave me a birthday card, and some people thought my name is spelled Jessy.
It was a usual busy day though and I had originally intended to invite some colleagues out for dinner after work. But then I had to stay late, and eventually, it was too late to invite anyone. Rats. I went home intending to shed my dress shirt for a casual tee and celebrate by myself in a bar somewhere. When I got to my place, I threw myself on my bed and closed my eyes, thinking of taking a five-minute nap.
When I opened my eyes, it was 11 am of January 12 already. Just great.
I checked out my high school alma mater's website today and I was floored. The website featured the school's night class program for indigent high school students.
The students who enrolled for this program have a thousand reasons to be mighty proud of themselves. I mean, there's this woman in her 50's who signs up and is going for her dream to finish high school. A boy treads kilometers day by day to attend classes and is doing well. An eighteen year old girl saves up her day's earnings to go to school after spending hours waiting tables on a daily basis.
Tuition for a month is 150 pesos. People, that is just 4 US dollars. For an entire school year, that is only about 2 thousand pesos, equivalent to 50 measly dollars. That may be dirt cheap to a lot of people but for struggling fellows, that's an arm and a leg.
You wanna make a difference? Help these and other deserving people by sending them to school on your account. Come on, thats just 4 dollars. Help also the underpaid teacher who spends a little more time at school to attend to them.
(Click to play)
I set up a Paypal account so that generous souls can send their donations. Please use the button below. I will turn over the donations and present them as a surprise to my school. Feeling more generous and wanting to donate something bigger? You can make a donation directly to the school by sending a message through the Contact form in the school website and asking for information on how to help.
Rest assured that this school, Claret High, is giving one fine education to the deserving. Come on, I graduated there. ;-) All it takes is your 4 dollars.
When you donate, you're giving someone a future. Don't be selfish, please.
The photo's not exactly good, but this is actually a frame grab from the video that they took when I jumped.
So how did it feel? Well it wasn't that high so there wasn't enough time to actually soak in the experience. As the popular line in the news goes, masyadong mabilis ang mga pangyayari (everthing happened too fast). But springing from the board was really something. I mean, you just had to let go of everything and take the plunge.
At work, my name became an issue again. Two departments have been merged into one so it's time for some re-introdcutions. We were in a circle and one of my new teammates asked me anew what's the story behind my name. Again, I explain to them that Jesse is a very common name not just in the Philippines but also everywhere else in the world, and that it's usually a guy's name. See, for Thais, Jesse is simply a girl's name.
I did a search on famous people and characters named Jesse and I came up with these:
Jesse - Biblical father of King David. Think Jesse Tree.
Jesse McCartney - an American singer and actor, latest work is lending his voice to the character of Theodore in Alvin and the Chipmunks (When I was a kid, I thought this was "Siadore").
Jesse James - a famous American outlaw in his time. There's gonna be a movie about him starring Brad Pitt.
Simply Jesse - an oldie Rex Smith song that goes "And I don't know how I knew it..." Why the song is called that is lost on me as Jesse is never mentioned throughout the song.
Jesse Owens - an African-American athlete who made headlines by being black and winning in the Olympics in the thirties, which was unthinkable at that time.
Jesse Bradford - American actor, to play leading male role in the Hollywood version of My Sassy Girl
Apparently, however, these characters don't ring a bell in Thailand so maybe to eliminate confusion, I'm gonna shorten my name to just Jess. That sounds about right, they tell me.
And they said Philippines is a macho country.
***
Now that I've come to think about it, I've actually had several nicknames throughout the years. At home, because I have a "Junior" suffixed to my name, I am called Jun. Fine, Jun-Jun. Dammit. In grade school, my classmates plainly called me Jesus, and some teachers Junior. But I have this other classmate already called Junior (also had a Junior suffix to his name) so to minimize confusion, I was officially called Jesus.
Growing up, I felt uncomfortable being called Jesus. Who wouldn't be? It's, you know, God's name, as in Jesus Christ. I'm not worthy. Whenever someone calls me Jesus I am usually tempted to reply "Yes, my child." So I had people call me by my last name instead, which is Siason. A lot of people are too lazy to utter the two syllables so they shortened it to Sia (as in "Sha"), and then later Siang, because as it is in the Philippines, we would usually add "-ng" to a one-syllable name ending with a vowel.
Examples:
From Sherwin: Sher - She (short e sound) - Sheng From Rowena: Wena - We - Weng From Palangga: Gaga - Ga - Gang
Fast forward to early college, I would usually introduce myself as Jun. But then I also began hearing people I don't know call me Chu. The reason is because in Zamboanga City (I'm not sure if it's also the same case in other places in the Philippines), it is usual for someone named Jesus to have the nickname Chu. I have no idea why, beats me. So people assume that my nickname is Chu. They don't know I have a Junior suffix so had no idea I could be called Jun for short.
I never did like being called Chu. I thought that it sounded like a dog's name. Like Chu-huahua. So I started to ask everybody to call me Jesse. Now Jesse is the more reasonable pet name for Jesus. Jess is also okay, but I liked Jesse better. The inspiration for the name Jesse is actually my father. We have the same first name (I'm a Junior, remember?) and his nickname is incidentally Jesse. It made sense to me that since we have the same first name, what the heck, why not nicknames as well?
And the rest is history. Those who already knew me as Chu would still call me Chu, and my new friends and acquaintances would call me Jesse. When I started working and moved to Manila, I had everyone call me Jesse once and for all. If I retain the Jun I know I'd never be taken seriously at work. Come on.
And so in a nutshell, here's the historical outline of my nicknames:
If you are like me, every time a foreigner makes a reference to the Philippines, you become very alert and interested. It doesn't matter if the reference is made in bad taste or if we are being rightfully extolled, but just hearing these guys utter the word Philippines or Filipino has the effect of five shots of espresso.
So imagine my amusement when watching some deleted scenes on a Family Guy DVD I get to a clip where I hear Stewie speak Tagalog. The scene involved Bryan's gay cousin Jasper apparently getting married to a Filipino. During the ceremony, Ricardo, the Filipino, whispers to the football-headed Stewie.
Ricardo: Baby, anong nangyayari dito? (Little baby, what is happening here?) Stewie: Hindi mo ba alam, ikakasal ka sa kanya. (You don't know? You're marrying him.) Ricardo: Ano? Kalokohan lang yan. Nakakatuwa ka, baby. (Ha! That's crazy. You're a funny little baby.) Stewie: Yeah I'm funny... enjoy your wedding night.
Earlier in the episode, the gay dog cries "I cant believe the wedding’s off, all I ever wanted was to get married and make a home with a skinny hairless filipino boy, isnt that the American dream?”
Hehehe.
Here's the clip:
If you are looking for more foreign stuff that mentions the Philippines, check out the Monggo Link below. It will bring you to Jessica Zafra's blog. And while you're at it, why don't you listen to Britney Spears's "Piece of Me" in which she sings about sneaking away to the Philippines. You'd like that, wouldn't you? Britney in Pinas and doing another Claire Danes.
"A cockroach! I saw one! No, not in the pictures or on a TV show! Fucking real live cockroach! In my room! And I survived! I can do anything now! I am redeemed! Gimme back my fucking babies!"
As you can see, my blog is sporting a spanking new look. I have bled my brains dry to make this work so cut me some slack. ;-) It's also quite obvious by now that I am really into Stewie, Peter, Bryan and every crazy character from that cool TV show.
On the right side is a video clip of anything that's made my day. I hope it will make yours too.
Wait a minute, I hear my neighbor vocalizing next door. What the deuce? Hmm, maybe he's not vocalizing, maybe his feet is stuck in a crack and he is actually just in pain. But I digress.
Where was I? Yes, my new blog. I'm still fine-tuning some few things with it so if you find something not working right, I'd be happy to hear your comment. I have no social life here in Bangkok as of the moment so I have all the time to blog. And check emails. And chat. And watch videos on youtube. Damn, I am turning into an American teenager.
Prospects are good in '08. So Im wishing for everyone's dreams to come true!
Below's a video clip I took at the countdown in Central World, Bangkok. There was a vast sea of people and mood was very festive, too bad I was by myself.
Jesse - Biblical father of King David. Think Jesse Tree.
