gone in 60 minutes

Just like that…best time beaten with the sole objective of making it on time…and get rewarded for it…if beholding the sight can be called that (a reward, that is).
Motivation in its purest form need not be repetitive (and grating to the nerves). It can be just a subtle suggestion or…silence, in its extreme form.
One message was all it took and the automatic mode was activated by some kind of complicated mechanism that even sleep deprivation could not thwart.
But as the season change in this distorted climate, the fleeting sunshine was no sooner obscured by dark clouds foreboding of an imminent rain. It took some measure of spunk to stare long enough to singe the waxed black mane which took a 270 degrees turn of the head (if that was even possible) but all of it was gone in 60 minutes.

understanding bjork...

is such a mean feat. it's more than four years since bjork was weaned from his dam with his now green eyes still closed. he seems familiar yet something's amiss. it's a wonder what goes through a cat's brain, except being in command of its body's physiological processes. he is very unpredictable. just now, he lies supine on the table right outside the shop and was resigned to the ministrations of a female passerby. while doing the same last night, my left hand was caught between his front paws and fangs that said they meant business.hence, these unsightly scratches which i sport right now. if he were a person, his autograph would have looked like this:.
name - bjork
sire - munich (from which he inherited his striking tabby color)
dam - puma (which genes contributed to his exceptional long glossy coat and tail disorder)
siblings - too many to mention (on either side)
birthplace - 2f mariño ancestral house, rizal st., brgy 1 poblacion, la carlota city, negros occidental, 6130 philippines
birthdate - 04 april 2003
pet peeves - running motors, bath time, heights (once climbed the acacia tree adjacent to the house and was not able to get off it for a day)
acquired taste - corn chips
embarrassing unbreakable habit - begging for corn chips from the shop patrons
embarrassing experience - the day the vet cut the 'you-know-what-must-not-be-named' off
greatest asset - shiny tabby coat (combination of good genes and nightly grooming)
greatest compliment ever received - always mistaken for a pure breed
hobby/ies - sleeping (about 20 hrs per day)
most romantic pursuit - getting home bruised and cut after a fierce duel of fangs and claws in the name of love
favorite scratch post - left rear foot of the newly refurbished settee
cribs - literal crib during infancy, master's warm tummy (ist three months), cushioned basket (rest of first year), fridge to (2nd year), neath the computer table (3rd year), shop hall table which looked like a display table from the sidewalk (presently)
special skills - toilet trained (unless the toilet door is closed of course); understand what a can of sardines meant; execute up, sit, stay and come commands
other oddities - limited to no hunting skills, neither nocturnal nor territorial, ignorant of what a mouse meant to the rest of the cat population

perks of being a gardener...

- watching this bud blossom into a delicate beauty

- breathing cool fresh oxygen from the recently watered photosynthesizing ornamentals

- enjoying the workout without the exhausting routine

- taking advantage of the skin-friendly untraviolet rays of the sun (that transform previt D3 into the bone vit D for stronger and more accurate kick during soccer scrimmage)

- spending sometime alone to mull about stuff, good stuff

and

- having something to write about :)

business risk

computer biz caters to a wide variety of activities, gaming being on top of the list especially for students. when the regularsare out, tending to the newbies is a welcome but risky option. this is based from a recent experience (like just 16 minutes ago). one kid just ran out of a Php 15 one-hour internet use. and of all the characters here, he looked the least likely to commit such a crime. it must have been really convenient with the shop door open and the keeper busy shutting the computer down. andwhat energy that lanky body possessed. bag, folder and all seemed weightless as he dashed into the street disappearing in one of the small pathways common along the major thoroughfares in the city. its funny how he bobbed his head out of his hiding place to see if the coast is clear. having stayed there long without appearing too suspicious, he decided to leave after minute or two.The shock on his face when he saw that someone went looking for him was almost comical. and when he heard the line 'ipapulis ta ka!', the poor boy was disoriented for a sec but off he went like fluffy's right on his heels with his nasty three heads. and he was gone, just like that!

my pet's pet peeve

i took bjork for company early this morning to water the plants and do a little gardening at the edge of the city. though i was warned of his phobia of running motors, that did not deter me from bringing him along. he once peed over nanay, i was told.
looking back now, the fear must have started the first time i took him. the destination was the city pound where he first experienced pain of unknown magnitude. that was the day i have him neutered with a noble purpose of saving him from himself (as the tomcat that he was, he upheld his dad's legacy of siring several dams after nights of pursuit and coming home bruised and all). time must have helped him forget the bitter experience. except for purring incessantly and digging his face into my behind, he did fairly well during the short ride.

about last thursday...

an erstwhile futbolero decided to come rejoin the afternoon fun on the pitch. the girls, who never lacked of 'worthy' opponents, welcomed the addition with some reservations. i, for one, wished to play opposite our guest. so, imagine my reaction when i saw the subject donning my color exactly (light blue, only his was striped with white). luck must have been laughing boisterously at my expense.
in fairness, not long into the game, i made a goal (not a spectacular one though, but i felt the force that i exerted on that kick) with joe (who was so not into the game for some reason) manning the goal, from a diagonal pass (from the center of the field to the right wing where i was). and i was recipient to equally good passes too which i miserably failed to deliver.
kudos!!! (to earl, that's "who"...in fairness, lira guessed right)

did you notice...

-that when you open a friendster friend update on yahoo, the user's primary picture is displayed in the mail?
-that when you click on the link (blog for example) in the friendster mail, no more websense nonsense pops up and the page is directed right away to the URL specified?
amazing eh!?!?
wait...where the heck do these things happen anyway? (one big mischievous grin ala the Grinch)

characters

kilobytes has a distinct set of clientile, the regulars and the newbies, predominantly male, from adolescents (kids from the school adjacent to the house) to young adults (including three science instructors) who have found their first love in the inanimate. the regulars trace their roots from the shop's soft opening, scheduled (or not) noodle parties, graveyard or holiday exclusives and such. they can be endearing in their youth and can be equally a pain in the !@#$% all at the same time
the drummer-drumming to the beat of the pulsating r&b numbers emanating from altec lansing speakers on one side of the wallis not a crime but the beating on the desk is. the vibration not only brings havoc to the hardware but to the peace of mind to the not so keen on drums and stuff.
the fashionista-school holiday or not, not a strand of hair is out of place on this lad's head. no wonder college girls teem the coffee shop during breaktime. kilobytes' brew is an attraction of its own but having an eyecandy in residence doesn'thurt business at all.
the loyalist-would never succomb to the lure of other gaming stations and would usually wait in qeueu until the ongoing match(frequently a 4v4 dota game) to conclude
the philantropist-for the love of the game would pay for the rental of any worthy opponent.
the freeloader - money could be an issue and is the type that would usually wait for an invite from the philantropist to get into the game.
the kibitzer-the species is everywhere, issuing instructions here and there but never get around to playing the game hands-on except on some occasion when a player leaves the station without finishing playing time.on other days, staying in the airconditioned room and listen to bisrock on the wmp seem to be enough reasons to linger.
the newbies-could be anyone who happen to pass by the neighborhood and finds a vacant seat, either for an hour of gaming orfriendster. yes, friendster is quite a staple here.
the deaf/mute-most of them, if not all, transfigure into this type whenever end time is announced. time and again, question as to time extension must be repeated to get either an affirmative or negative response. total concentration was the main alibibut in the operator's point of view, it's a ploy to extend play time without being charged for it.

was it a trap?

the discovery last night was really something out of the ordinary. why the sudden lax in security? there must be an underlying agenda in those calculating minds. hmmm!!!
but...there is something more pressing at hand. details will be disclosed in a day or two.

Classic Overdose

stumbling upon a goldmine is a stupefying experience. even in the absence of hexes, the feeling is akin to that of being transported to another place and time. great finds for today were sites that allow freebie hunters to download everything classic...from music to audiobooks to movies...even that which filmed by akira kurosawa...ain't that interesting enough?

what to avoid in starting a new day

- getting up late; excusable though when it happens to rain at dawn and snuggling deeper in the depths of the downy mattress holds a stronger pull than having to deal with frigid water from the tap. The short walk to work will be impossible anyways.
- not having breakfast; leaving the house with a full stomach gives some measure of confidence
- bad news...well who wants them?

what to write...

this is finally it. the inevitable has arrived. none of last week's sweet surprises. the night has come. eyecandy came no more, hence the culmination of one chapter in the life of this blog has commenced. it's going to be quite a challenge starting over.
on a positive note though, eventually the muse will find a more amusing and interesting subject to mull and write about. after all, life goes on. it's best to keep the pace and take one day at a time...

random thoughts on the fifth installment of harry potter

on the characters:

Luna Lovegood was immediately recognizable with the upside down Quibbler in her hands but she looked and acted far from being dotty.

Being an active Deatheater must be truly taxing. Lucius Malfoy's hair has lost most of its shine.

Dolores Umbridge looked like somebody everyone would want for a granny. Her voice teemed with sweetness, like that of karen's in "will and grace" that it can kill a diabetic person. The expectation to immediately hate her was slow to come. It has taken root only after after Harry's detention and slowly built up enough to think she deserved her sad end with the centaurs.

The Boys: Harry, Ron, and Neville's bulging biceps can be hidden no more. The sixth and seventh installments should be well underway now.

Grawp looked liked a troll but who really knows how a giant would look like.

Sybil. Nobody would do her justice than Emma Thompson did.

Kreacher is 'endearing' in an odd way. His grudging obedience is quite familiar.

The Dementors looked scarier than they already were. They looked like they really were capable of sucking out all that happiness in the world. With their heads uncloaked though, they've somehow lost a bit of their mystery.

on the setting:

I imagined the Ministry of Magic building to be as classic as Gringotts. Matrix-like lines and planes weren't so bad though. It made Bellatrix fluid escape through the floo graceful.

on some scenes:

Gary Oldman couldn't be any sexier than he did in the part where he was exchanging hexes with cousins Bellatrix and Lucius.

Seeing more of Filch is quite refreshing. The part in which he hanged one of the many new "rules" that nearly reached the rafters was quite amusing.

Is the transformation from quartz to glass a reversible process? Or it's something that only magic can do (voldemort and dumbledore's one on one)? The scene was reminiscent of "the covenant" when chase and caleb battled for supremacy...hurtling "rasengan"- like powerballs with some twist. David Yates must be a Naruto fan.

boo boos

i had my chance (yet again) and i totally blew it.
balked at the opportunity like a surprised filly; like the event was not premeditated. so much about planning. nothing just came out right. it's so silly and it's so not me. i wonder how it will be when my time will come...hmmm.
eyecandy might have been too late to keep the momentum of lunch gossip but the encounter has more than made up for it. darn hormones! they sure need some tips on timing...(like a delayed physical reaction would be a very welcome development).

maria's song

"Perhaps I had a wicked childhood

Perhaps I had a miserable youth

But somewhere in my wicked, miserable past

There must have been a moment of truth

For here you are,

standing there..."

...and the song ends there...for this maria...but if adding a customized lyrics is permissible, this would be it:

"...For here you are,

standing there giving me (a good view for yet another day)

Whether or not you should

So somewhere in my youth or childhood

I must have done something good"

now, what?

wow! the inevitable has finally arrived! but nary a word! how sad (sigh)

dwelling on the fact is depressing and words are hard to find (another sigh)

one thing is certain, lunch hour would be deathly boring without the eyecandy to build up the anticipation

where do the cleats fit in this?

go, figure!

The Catcher in the Rye

This book has been in my possession for over a quarter of a year now but I'm still quite a way off from the ending. Within the period, I have finished a Harry Potter installment, made a few sketches in my drawing pad, solved an unaccounted number of word puzzles and has been a subject to a host of other activities here and there.

The paperback is actually only less than an inch thick but reading it seems to require so much effort. Well, the fact that Holden, the main character, exuded so much negativity, must be causing it. His depression and insecurity are contagious that finishing even a chapter or two in one seating seemed too much to handle. Credits to JD though for drawing a realistic characterization of the protagonist that if you get to really know Holden intimately, you can see so much about him that is in one's self, a friend's, a sibling's, or an office mate's.

My only drive now is discovering if, like THE James Franco in Spiderman, he gets to redeem himself at the end of the story.

leather jacket in the tropics?!?!

well, acceptance depends on who wears it. if it happens to be eyecandy who lacked the correct judgement and dons something so inappropriate for a place that has never seen snow, well...sigh...in complete resignation...

one dose, cures all

it's the one thing that can be said of soccer.
whatever it is that's ailing...be it mental, physical, emotional or even spiritual , just being on the pitch makes a difference.
especially when the grass is green and thick enough to cushion even the grossest fall, walking barefoot gives a sense of oneness with nature. it's wonderful enough to witness the season change, but the littlest detail like a grass growing out of an arid lifeless patch of soil is a miracle worthy of some attention.
seven, a perfect number?
in soccer sense, it meant more than enough playtime for everyone. though terribly physically demanding, the sense of accomplishment is far greater; the teamwork, more intimate; the learning, more exhaustive.
with both mind and body wasted, expect a "dreamless" sleep and wake up refreshed and ready to take on whatever the world has in store for the new day.

a dreamer's worst nightmare

who wouldn't feel as bad as i did? just imagine yourself in my stead, losing precious sleep and forced to endure this unsightly excel file that kept flashing at the back of your mind. if it doesn't manage to drive you mad, it is more than capable to cause insomnia.
the issue is that i received a tad too many requests yesterday, and it being a Monday, i must have decided subconscioussly that that just doesn't feel right.