New Domain Name

I am happy. For such a long time I wanted to continue writing in this blog but I couldn't - simply because I was busy with work and life as a whole. My laptop could not connect to the camp network from my previous room and using my PC in the office for blogging is not ideal. There are a lot of eyes in there but hey they don't care though.

But now? I am transferred to a single room (not shared but just me alone) and that to me is fantastic. Aside from that, the internet connection from here is crazy fast! Like I can watch Netflix from here seamlessly.

I think I can write a lot of things from now on. Hopefully, I can update this blog from time to time not because I want people to read this or to have an audience but just simply to be able to write. I think it is healthy for me and it is good for my brain.

The love of my life has encouraged me to write again. It is something that we both do in common. Creative writing or just some random stuff to write about the day.

Walked away...

I didn't say anything

And you said nothing

You just walked away

And I went on my own...

We never uttered words

We were afraid to say

Or we never had time to

We just went our way...

Losing humanity...

There are times in your life when you can lose so much. And sometimes, you lose too many great things. It would hurt, it surely would. It will haunt you in your dreams, because even though you lost them and forever be gone, the memories remain. It made me happy in some quite times in the mountains - the Sony MP3 Player which my mom gave to me. It unleashed the gaming potential in me - the expensive Lenovo Thinkpad mom bought for me. It carried all my belongings wherever I go - the Habagat Backpack I bought on my first salary. My two wallets, cash, IDs, Credit and ATM Cards, Two 1TB Hard Drives, and others. All of them went with him, the guy who needed that money to suffice his worldly needs because he doesn't want to work hard as much as I do.

I work hard in the mountains. Day or Night. Rainy day or Scorching hot sunny day. I work hard and obey my superiors. So that I can buy things that I never had before. To reward myself. But people these days, they just steal everything. They lost their humanity.

Which laptop?

This is my story in search of the incredible...

Note: This is my search of the incredible. This is my search of the best but affordable mobile gaming hardware here in the Philippines. I will keep this post updated until I get my new gaming laptop.

5/10/2015

My name is Ryan. My bag and all the expensive stuff in it got stolen in NAIA Terminal 3, here in the Philippines. I lost two wallets with cash, ATM and credit cards, Sony MP3, Xbox Controllers, and lastly, my Lenovo Thinkpad - my expensive, business-gaming laptop.

Since I travel a lot, like a lot a lot, like I get to have four flights every month, buying a new gaming laptop did no longer occur to me. What if it got stolen again? I am traumatized, even now. But I was and always am a multimedia lover, a true-to-heart gamer, and a disciple of engineering marvels! So despite the heavy burden in my heart, I figured out that I need to move on and get a new one.

Spent a few weeks doing research, reading reviews, and specs of the best hardware but AFFORDABLE. It was hard, really hard. There were Lenovo, MSI, Alienware, Sager, Acer, and Asus Rog. These manufacturers tend to claim that they've got the beast I'm looking for. But I am a careful buyer, a smart one. I don't buy things spontaneously (except for ladies if only they are for sale) so I had to be patient.

I looked for numerous sellers in Tipidpc.com, olx.com, and other shops online. I even went to Gilmore this May 2015 just to find what I'm looking for. But even at Gilmore, the place where you can get the most affordable gaming hardware in the country, fell short to my expectations. Some shops there do not know what they are selling.

Me: Boss, itong Asus G501 nyo ba ay IPS-technology yung screen?

Supervisor: Tingnan ko ha. Hmmm. Oo. Kasi ito yug G501JW eh. Sabi sa website ng Asus IPS to. Last unit na namin yan kaya bilhin mo na.

That made me happy. But I wanted to be sure. So I checked online only to find out that there are many G501JW variants in the world and the one we have here in the Philippines is the one with a mediocre TN panel. People who went to Villman and PC Corner were disappointed about their unit after buying. The panel display was just... disappointing for a 55K-60K gaming laptop.

I started doing some more research again. And in some forums, they mentioned someone in the name of laptopmaestro. What is with that name? Catchy though...

5/26/2015

This guy in the name of laptopmaestro shows his current list of items for sale at tipidpc.com and olx.com. 

http://www.tipidpc.com/ratings.php?username=laptopmaestro

http://members.olx.ph/laptopmaestro

I carefully read all the details about this seller. After all, I am yet to spend more or less 70K for a gaming laptop. I had to be sure. After checking all the posts of his previous buyers in tipidpc and facebook, I decided to inquire.

I sent him a message on FB around 4 in the afternoon. I waited for his reply... but an hour has passed but there was none. So I messaged him again around 7PM. There was no reply again when I messaged him at 11PM. Well, perhaps I had to be patient. First, when you buy a laptop from this guy, it is significantly cheaper than any other sellers here in the county. I've done my share of research. So I guess it's okay to wait. He replied the next day.

Judging from the way he writes, this one is a professional dealer. Clear. Precise. Straight to the point. And really knows his stuff. Do you want to know how much he asked for the downpayment? Not 10K. Not 5k. Not 3k. Not 2k. If you want to get one? Better inquire yourself and be amazed.

Seems like laptopmaestro is a busy guy. That's why he can't reply immediately to your inquiries. Maybe this is just his 'sideline' and not really his main business. Or maybe he is a spy? Lol.

After getting all the information of where to deposit the money, I didn't hesitate to deposit the very small amount that he asked (reservation fee) the next day.

I'll keep this post updated:

Kaban ng Bayan

I have been talking to myself for two hours straight already. I do this all the time. I do this when I am alone in my room. When I am depositing in the white throne. When I don't do anything at work.

However, as of the moment, I am in the mountains of northeastern Philippines looking after a drilling activity for a mining company I work for. And it's three in the morning, it's cold here, dark and could have been peaceful if not for the screaming of monstrosity coming from a gargantuan of a machine.

But before I started talking to myself, I did some crazy stuff like rock and rolling, shaking my head (That they called headbanging), and strumming an invisible lead guitar while listening to an upbeat-rock-rnb playlist.

I talked about politics, mistakes, and partially love, and anything random... I complained about how the government is taking so much tax from me every month and how ill the country we have now. That I would allow Mayor Duterte to take presidency and massacre all politicians who got their crooked nails dirty by stealing money from  the 'Kaban ng Bayan.'

Breaking Free

Weeks have passed. Many weeks have gone by. I went to many places. I almost traveled the whole country - from the outskirts of northeastern Mindanao, to some parts of the Visayas, in Metro Manila, and now here in northeastern Luzon. I've been to many places, really, in just a matter of six months.

Unlike the movie 'That thing called Tadhana', I cannot afford to go to Rome, but I frequent in NAIA twice a month. I didn't go to Baguio and Sagada, but I've been to Baguio in 2012 and stayed in Benguet for more than two months. I know how it looks like, how cold it is, how beautiful the trees, the mountains, and the skies. I picked some strawberries, too.

But is't not about the place. It's about the feelings - the reasons why you have to go that far and spend all that money; the reasons why you have to leave behind your old life for a moment and be someone else new for a little while.

There is something wonderful about a place where everything around you is new. They don't know you. You don't know them. And you can just walk at the seashore, at the boulevard, or at the streets and nobody will care. At last, you can breathe. You are free.

EduKation (Education)

For so many days now, well, weeks rather, since my last entry, I have been wanting to write as regularly as possible, like thrice or twice a week. But my schedule won't let me. I work on a 12-hour 6AM-6PM shift at the office or at the field and when I enter my room, I'm just so tired I want to sleep the soonest.

But I guess that's not the issue. My writing is deteriorating. I write bad sentences in my desktop, I'm finding it hard to construct a paragraph. Wrong spelling, well, I was never really good at that. My spelling bee 'power' is never really quite good and my vocabulary is limited. When I was in second grade, my teacher forced me to join a spelling bee eliminations. The winner will represent our school in the city meet. I pretty much got all right, except these one long word and 'milk'. Yes, MILK. It took me forever to spell that one and until now I cannot forget that.

How's that for a throwback? Haha.

Siopao... Bola-bola

I think I have gained so much weight in just two months. I mean, it seems like my face has become round just like a siopao with bola-bola filling. Haha!

The company has been very extravagant in providing the employees everything to make them stay - bringing restaurant grade food here in the mountains, air-condition rooms, hot and cold shower, clean and comfy accommodation. Everything is already here. And if you don't have any family at home waiting for you, then you can stay here for good. But unfortunately, you can't. You really need to go home during your break. I have a little sister. :)

My roster break is quite nice. The best so far ever since I started working as a professional geologist in large scale to medium scale companies here in the country. I have a 28 days work and 14 days break (w/ pay) roster break. Ain't that the best there is? Here in the country, there are only two or three companies offering this kind of luxurious benefits.

I am blessed. And though this is just a very short term project, I hope and pray that they will absorb me or at least extend me or even get me regularized. But the current price of gold is a big factor in getting me there. So I can only pray and let the Lord our God do the magic.

Cheerio.

Home.. Nothing beats home..

Last night, I was to purchase an airline ticket routing Manila-Cebu. However, I wasn't sure of the exact date of my roster break. I can see cheap flights at Cebu pacific and Air Asia websites. But I still need to know my schedule. The truth is, I can't get a ticket unless my boss tells me the 'good news'. That, right now, I can't formally share.

When I was a kid, or when I was even in high school, I never really thought of getting in to a plane. I mean, its expensive. But now, I fly twice a month to Negros Oriental and it became common to me. I had to accept that my job requires frequent travelling.

Thank you Lord for the blessings. :)

Healty Living

I wasn't able to have my exercise for almost 3 weeks already. It started when I went home for my roster break - spent two days in Manila, a week in Cebu, and a week in Dumaguete.

So tonight, I'm back. RAAAAAAAAAAAA! Did some running at the treadmill (is this the correct spelling? Haha.) I want to gain some weight and build some toned muscles. Not the likes of Hogan or Arnold. Just the lean one with enough muscles. Pang-chicks ba! Haha!

I hope I gain body mass soon and develop well-toned muscles. I also hope I can run faster and improved my endurance, just like college days. Oh, when I was in college, I was... well, it was my best years. I was a varsity member and played in the national collegiate games twice.

The fastest game in the court - BADMINTON.