Epidemic Alert: The 'Bubbles Syndrome'

There is a spreading epidemic of some sort here in our office and it is slowly taking over everyone. The symptoms: temporary loss of awareness of one's surroundings, incessant staring at the computer monitor with glassy eyes, involuntary seizures of the index finger tapping on the left mouse button, adhesion of the hand to the mouse, and sometimes even momentary deafness. The culprit: little globules of bloody red, slimy green, hepatitis yellow, hematoma blue and rash-like purple.

Nobody knows where they came from or who the first victim was. One thing is certain, like a virus, it has spread from one person to another effortlessly. The rapid spreading is attributed to the deceptive nature of this affliction. The globules may look harmless but beware, they are quite nasty.

They do not attack outright, but coax you subconsciously (by way of the victim's curiosity) to surrender yourself to its clutches. Once you succumb to their persuasion, you are likely doomed to a zombie-like mode and before you know it you are one of them - 'people-afflicted-with-bubbles-syndrome'.

The epidemic attacks happen at random throughout the day, usually peaking at noon. It's not uncommon to see rows of hapless, glassy-eyed victims who have fallen to the epidemic.

Unfortunately, I am one of them. I am victim too. I thought my defenses were strong and I would never succumb to such an ancient-looking, mind-numbing, pointless, idiotic doodad. But I was dead wrong.

Now I am compelled to spread the affliction even further. Click here and be one of us. Resistance is futile.

Legazpi’s Embarcadero On the Rise

Bird's Eye view of Embarcadero

A few months ago, I wrote about Legazpi City’s newest world-class destination on the rise – the Embarcadero, an ambitious project spearheaded by Misibis Land Inc. (MLI). Now, MLI’s latest official newsletter, Misibis Today, reveals more details about this Marina-inspired development in the Legazpi Port area. Construction of Phase I (which already cost P450-500 million) is now in full swing and is expected to be completed next year.

Master-planned by BN Group Pty of Australia, the Embarcadero will have a total of nine structures within the 2.5 hectare site, including a four-level commercial and lifestyle center that will house specialty shops, restaurants, bars, a supermarket and an 800-seat call center, among others. Six other structures ranging from 1 to 2 storeys each will be spread out across the site located at the foot of the Kapuntukan or Sleeping Lion Hill.

The entire complex will be punctuated by a 30-meter, intricately-designed steel and concrete lighthouse that will undoubtedly become a new landmark for Legazpi. Since I happen to love lighthouses, I can’t wait to see how this new modernistic structure will turn out. Closer inspection of the architectural renderings reveal a possible spiral staircase within the structure that could lead to an observation deck at the top. This will undoubtedly provide a breathtaking panorama of Legazpi, Mayon Volcano and the wide expanse of the Albay Gulf.

Celebration Plaza and Lighthouse

An expansive civic space amidst the structures will be called the Celebration Plaza. Aside from the lighthouse, the plaza will be the centerpiece of the Embarcadero and will provide a venue for conventions, concerts, expos, trade fairs and other events. The wooden boardwalk furnished with benches, food stalls, and kiosks will provide Legazpeños and tourists with a place for relaxing, strolling, biking, simply enjoying the sea breeze and other activities.

Meanwhile, to address concerns about safety, with the city being on the typhoon belt, the company made sure the waterfront facility has typhoon-resistant buildings and will be elevated from the natural ground line. The bay walk will also serve as an elevated and inclined seawall. Also, Phase III of the project requires reclamation of about 500 meters of the shoreline which will surely widen the land area for the facility.

Majority of Legazpeños are not yet aware that such a project is now being built in an area that once had a bad reputation as a place for brawls and pickpockets. With the recent disasters, some are even doubtful of the safety of building a waterfront structure. Still, I think we can expect that MLI, being a genuine Bicolano company, fully understands the safety needs and will implement measures to protect their multi-million peso investment.

Shops and Restaurants within Embarcadero

I hope the success of this project will have a ‘ripple effect’ throughout the entire city and help boost its economy and rejuvenate the port district. This project may be ambitious but it certainly is not quixotic. I wish other sectors of the Legazpi community will be as audacious and forward-looking as MLI.

Photos from the Misibis Today Newsletter, July 2007 Edition (click to enlarge)
For construction photos and more updates click here.

Web Finds: Cabos - File Sharing Program

Cabos is a free Gnutella file-sharing program based on the popular Limewire. I found this software while browsing through StumbleUpon a few weeks ago and I have been using it ever since. It's better than Limewire because it's free from adware and spyware. It also has a clean and uncluttered interface and uses a smaller chunk of your computer's memory compared to Limewire.

Aside from MP3s, you can also find other files such as documents, and movies. However, the Gnutella network offers a very limited resource when it comes to movies unlike torrents. I don't usually download full-length movies so I'm okay with that.Cabos is basically a simplified, no-fuss, no-nonsense version of Limewire. One little feature I like is the iTunes integration because I use iTunes as my default media player here at home. Cabos automatically adds audio files to my iTunes playlist as soon as I finish downloading them. Now I don't have to locate these files from my chaotic folders.

So there, if you need a simple, easy-to-use, file sharing program to download small files such as MP3s, I recommend Cabos.

3D Model of Legazpi Railway Station

Finally, I have a new 3D Model created through Google Sketchup. It's been over a year since I made my last model (which has already been featured in Google Earth's Best of 3D Warehouse Layer) and at last, I now have a new one to add to my collection. Making this model was actually a spur of the moment. With all the bad news that came crashing down on me earlier today, I felt I needed a diversion. Hehe.

Well, I found myself ‘exploring’ my hometown, Legazpi, through Google Earth (which has updated its database of satellite imagery, recently, by the way) and I figured maybe it's time to make another 3D model of a Legazpi landmark.

I chose to create a model for the Legazpi Railway Station mainly because I thought the building is structurally simple and thus, easier to model. The building is also an important landmark because it is the southernmost terminus of the Philippine National Railways.

So there, I started making the model at, say, quarter past 8PM and finished it by 1AM, Haha. I’m a consummate geek when it comes to Sketchup; it must be the frustrated architect in me kicking in. I wanted a more detailed 3D model so I consulted some photos, courtesy of Yves, one of the city's best photographers.

The real thing

Of course, the model is only a rough approximation and it’s not really an accurate representation of the real building. That's because I relied mainly on common sense and my memory of this edifice, instead of actual measurements. There are slight mistakes that almost made me want to start from scratch. But overall, I think I made a fairly convincing 3D model. More importantly, I had fun making this model and was totally engrossed with it for a few hours.

If you have G. Earth please do visit our city and check out my new model. Legazpi now has seven 3D buildings on Google's 3D Warehouse; just activate the 3D Buildings mode so you can view them. Meanwhile, here are some more pictures of my 3D Legazpi Railway Station:

Close-up of facade
Front view
Rear view
On Google Earth

On Google Earth (with Mayon Volcano)

Three of the Coolest Ads Ever Made

Some TV ads are so well-designed and superbly executed that they cease to be just ads but become works of art. Among them is the series of ads for Sony Bravia, a brand of high-definition LCD TVs. The first ad is actually a bit old but I think it is still one of the coolest and most memorable ad spots ever created.

Imagine 250,000 real (no computer-generated effects) brightly-colored rubber balls bouncing down a San Francisco street - simple but iconic. The song is great too - 'Heartbeats' by Jose Gonzales. This is easily one of my favorite TV ads.



Meanwhile, another ad, launched last year, is a literal outburst of colors. A total of 1,400 timed explosions covered a tower block in Glasgow, Scotland in 70,000 liters of environment-friendly paint. It's quite a spectacle, an exuberant fireworks display of color dancing to classical music. Like in ‘Balls’, the paint is all real and no computer-generated effects were used. Expectedly, it made such a ginormous mess, but it is quite a beautiful mess.



The latest spot for Sony Bravia instantly blew me away. Using stop-motion filming technique, the ad features hundreds of Play-doh bunnies frolicking all over New York to the tune of ‘She's a Rainbow’ by the Rolling Stones. This is pure genius, and a lot of hard work -- 40 animators worked on 2.5 tons of plasticine for about three weeks to create this 60-second spot.



There's another Sony Bravia ad spot, actually. Probably aimed towards the African market, this time they draped the freakin’ Great Pyramid of Giza with hundreds of yards of colored threads.

Makes me wonder what they’re going to do next.

* * *

By the way, these three ads were conceptualized and created by Fallon. Watch how they made these ads: Bouncing Balls, Exploding Paint and Play-doh Bunnies. Coolness.

Will 'The Hobbit' Finally Happen?

After the spectacular achievement that is the 'Lord of the Rings' trilogy, I was expecting that Peter Jackson will start working on the 'Rings' prequel, 'The Hobbit'. However, another battle (very much unlike those fought at Helm's Deep and Pelennor Fields) left the possibility of a Jackson-directed 'Hobbit' film as good as dead.

There has been a nasty legal scuffle raging for years between director Jackson and Robert Shaye, New Line Cinema's co-chairman, over unpaid profits and the denial of Jackson's request for auditing of the films' income (which isn't much, only $3 billion dollars - loose change. hehe) . The rift got so bad and too personal that the future of 'The Hobbit' became quite grim.

But if the latest news is true and the two parties are indeed moving towards a resolution, we might see hope for 'The Hobbit' after all. Personally, I'd like to see no other director to work on ‘Hobbit’ other than Peter Jackson. I am quite sure that the books’ millions of fans feel the same way. In fact there are several ongoing campaigns calling for a ‘Hobbit’ film with no other than Peter on the helm.

Peter Jackson has perfectly captured J.R.R. Tolkien’s vision and made it more real for us. I’d love to see Bilbo Baggins, Gandalf, and others, brought to life once again by Jackson and his team. For me, ‘The Hobbit’ was a more enjoyable and fun read compared to the trilogy, and I just can’t wait to see that thrilling story of adventure, bravery and loyalty realized on screen. I’m hoping that things will turn out great for ‘The Hobbit’ and Peter Jackson and he will indeed be directing this much-awaited prequel. I’m keeping my fingers crossed.

Meanwhile, I don’t have any idea on who might be the perfect actor to portray Bilbo, though. Ian McKellen has expressed interest in playing Gandalf once more and frankly I can’t think of any other actor for the role. The other LOTR stars have also professed their allegiance to Jackson and to whatever he is planning to do, although most of their roles don’t really have much significance in the story of ‘The Hobbit’. Who do you think can portray Bilbo best?

Diagnosis: Disillusionment

Disclaimer: Rambling mode is on. If you don't want to read anything emo, pointless, senseless and utterly self-indulgent, just look away.

All around me are familiar faces. Worn out places, worn out faces. Bright and early for their daily races. Going nowhere, going nowhere. And their tears are filling up their glasses. No expression, no expression. Hide my head I want to drown my sorrow. No tomorrow, no tomorrow.

For the past few days I find myself once again weaving in and out of familiar old feelings. It’s like living a non-life. As I wake up in the morning, I can’t find a good enough reason to get up and face the day. And when I do succeed in dragging myself to where I’m supposed to be, there begins another sickening routine where I trudge along, seemingly okay on the outside, but not quite deep inside. The day has barely started and I'm already wishing for it to end.

Something’s just wearing me out and I feel as if I’m worn out too thin. And I know it’s affecting my efficiency (was I ever efficient?) and functions at work (I think I’ve been malfunctioning for months now) negatively. As usual, befuddled old me can’t point a finger to what it is that’s bugging me. I try to be unfazed by it all and I may be succeeding because nobody notices. But as the day ends, I find myself slumping back down into the dumps again.

And I find it kind of funny. I find it kind of sad. The dreams in which I'm dying are the best I've ever had. I find it hard to tell you 'cos I find it hard to take. When people run in circles. It's a very, very Mad World

Maybe I'm just bored. Or maybe I’m just tired of it all: the same places, the same faces, the same things. Or maybe I’m disillusioned, yet again. They say that disillusionment refers to the feeling that arises from the discovery that something is not what it was anticipated to be.

Maybe that’s it – this isn't the life I envisioned I would have five or ten years ago.

But then again, what exactly did I imagine my life would be? Did I consciously will this kind of life into reality or this is exactly what I'm supposed to be living and I can't do anything about it? Where will all this lead, then? Am I taking the right path and at the right direction? Can I get myself out of this rut soon? Am I just wasting my time? And when I finally wake up from this stupor will I be regretting all that lost time?

Art by Vladstudio