Stuff that I ate today (in between meals, that is):
God, I hope these cravings stop soon. I’ll probably turn into a blimp if this continues. Thank God for my quick metabolism.
Check out these air tools.
Our house almost got broken into the other night, if not for a neighbor who saw the suspicious looking men lurking on our property. According to our neighbor, they were wearing black and couldn’t get through because a stray dog was growling at them. It’s the second time that the said stray dog chased a suspicious looking character off our property.
So yesterday, while my mom and I were looking for a suitable birthday present for my grandmother, my father went to look at security cameras. He finally came back with wireless night vision security cameras. They’ve been set up (and effectively hidden). We hope to get footage soon.
My parents spoke with the president of our area’s security forces. They said they already have suspects (and pretty much confirmed our suspicions regarding these suspects), but they still haven’t caught these men in the act. Hopefully we’ll nail them soon.
I’m probably going to be a paranoid little thing until they get caught.
On a lighter note, I was going through my grandfather’s old things last night (my grandmother requested that I go through them, since she thought I might something of use) and found a camera. An Olympus-Pen F.
It’s a half frame camera, so it takes two photos in one frame. So a 36 shot roll of film loaded in this camera will yield 72 shots, instead of the typical 36. I can’t wait to try it out.
For those who are considering a memory upgrade, hi. 
It’s no secret that I consider the 30s-60s the golden era of film making. I’m a rather huge fan of Alfred Hitchcock and have a DVD box set of all his successful suspense flicks. For the past few days, I’ve gone on a Hitch marathon. Here are my recommendations:
I’m a Grace Kelly fan, so it’s only natural that I’d love her performance here. This film is about a man who marries a woman for her money. When he gets named as a beneficiary in her will, he plots her death.
I still have around 5 other favorites, but I think the ones mentioned above are enough for this entry. I really need to refresh my memory, though, since it’s been a few years since I’ve seen Hitch’s other works.
If you do check out those movies, be sure to keep your eyes open for Alfred Hitchcock’s signature cameo appearances!
What is digital signage?
If you haven’t already seen the film or read the book and plan to, I suggest you skip to the last paragraph because it’s likely some spoilers might slip out in the process of writing this review.
I discovered Rebecca while browsing my father’s DVD collection. He’s an avid fan of Alfred Hitchcock and has all his DVDs. When I settled in to watch it, I didn’t realize that it was film adaptation of Daphne Du Maurier’s bestseller (which I still had not read at the time, although I had a very vague idea of the plot). I only found out when Max de Winter was introduced in the story.
So, having seen the film, I decided to check out the book. I will be ordering it soon online, however, I couldn’t resist downloading an ebook from The Burgomeister’s Ebooks.
Somehow, I wish I had read the book before watching the film. The film was very good, however, there is something about the book which tells me that I would have enjoyed it more if I had plunged into the Daphne Du Maurier’s world without a notion of what would happen. I understood, though, that film adaptations sometimes tend to alter certain plot details, so I was prepared (and somewhat hoping) to be surprised.
The book is written in first person, the unnamed narrator (the second Mrs. de Winter) recollecting her past – how she met the widower Maxim de Winter, and her life trying (and failing) to fill the shoes of Max de Winter’s first wife, Rebecca, who had died earlier in the year. It shows her struggle to deal with Mrs. Danvers, the hostile housekeeper at Manderley (Mr. de Winter’s estate) who resents her for trying to replace Rebecca, and her struggle with the belief that her husband is still in love with his late wife. If you’d like to read a better plot summary, there is one on Wikipedia.
The novel, with its famous opening line “Last night I dreamt I went to Manderley again”, truly draws you in. While the book wasn’t packed with much action, you already feel something right from the beginning. Daphne Du Maurier’s writing is filled with gothic and sinister undertones.
I was happier with the book than I was with the film. As much as I love Alfred Hitchcock films, I still couldn’t come to terms with the fact that they had to alter a major plot detail. A plot detail that strongly influenced the story.
It was a somewhat slow read, but an enjoyable one, though I never really expected the ending to go that way. I was surprised about how the truth came out. I just never saw it coming, and I never thought that Rebecca had died that way, as it was shown differently in the film. However, I wasn’t let down. I put the book down, satisfied, fascinated – and sort of wanting more.
I keep wondering what the second Mrs. de Winter’s name is, though. I think that the author deliberately did not mention it so the new Mrs. de Winter would remain standing under Rebecca’s shadow.
I’d recommend this to fans of mysteries, and also for people who liked Jane Eyre – you will see some similarities. 
And if you’re having trouble with your skin, check out these acne treatments.
Here’s part two of Your Questions, Answered. If you don’t see your question here, it’s probably in Part 1. Thanks for all your questions, guys!
What are the five most important things in your life? (Lucy)
Answer: (1) God, (2) my family, (3) my friends, (4) my pets and (5) my career. Yes, in that order.
Do you prefer digital or analog clocks? (Mimee)
Answer: I can read both, so I’m fine with anything. However… I guess I’d prefer a digital clock. Unless you have a cute silver and yellow analog clock you want to give me.
If there was a train track forking off in 2 directions, and on one side there were 5 resting coal miners, while on the other side there was a little old lady picking flowers, and there was an oncoming train that was going to kill the 5 miners, and you had the power to divert the train’s path to the old lady’s side, what would you do, and why? (Cindy)
Answer: I’d probably divert the train’s path to the old lady’s side. Not because I don’t care for the old lady. But… I don’t know. Those 5 men probably have wives and children who depend on them. But I guess before diverting it to the old lady’s side, I’d try to find a way divert the train to a direction where there’s no one who would get injured or killed.
do you collect anything? (Crystal)
Answer: I think the closest thing I’ve ever come to collecting anything was… CDs. I guess not. Do my cameras count? I have around 6 cameras.
If you can only have one dog, who would you choose, Gus or Chance? Why? (Miss Dre)
Answer: Probably Chance. It doesn’t mean I love Gus less. It’s just that I have a closer connection to Chance because I delivered him, I gave him his first bath, I took him for his very first vet visit. But I love both dogs, so losing just one of them would break my heart. Or have me running for drug rehabilitation.
you take really great street photos. that has always been one of the hurdles in photography i haven’t been able to conquer. how did you overcome shyness? how do you take photos of people? do you come up to them and tell them? aren’t you afraid somebody might mug you or what? (Pao)
Answer: First off, thanks for adding me as a contact on Flickr! Believe it or not, those street photos you saw were my first attempt at street photography. Street is more my dad’s thing, but I’ve been trying to learn from him.
I was shy. I really was. But then the kids started asking to have photos of them taken. Who was I to say no? Just be observant. It’s easier to take photos of little kids, because they’re friendly. Also, go in large groups. Invite a few of your friends for a photowalk. You’ll feel much more safe and confident that way, because you’re not the only one taking photos. And bring a car, and don’t go to drug rehab.
About the mugging… I don’t usually go to places like Quiapo with my DSLR. My tip for you is to get a rangefinder. I recommend the FED 3. I have one and it’s very very good. There are lots on eBay which you can get for less than $50, and they’re especially good for street photography. My dad’s gallery is full of street photos – all of them were shot with his Leica and Zorki rangefinders.
How many times a week would you say you took photos and how many? What do you think is most important in pictures? What is your current career path? What course did you take? (I was really wondering about this. Hehe.) How much wood does a woodchuck chuck? Chuck or Nate? (Kat)
I take photos almost everyday, and upload about a quarter of them to Flickr. I probably take around 50 photos a week. I think the story behind each photo is the most important. I’m currently working as a web designer, and studied Multimedia Arts. As for the woodchuck – none, I guess. Lastly, in terms of hotness, Nate. In terms of appeal, Chuck.
Thanks for everyone who asked a question. Here are the answers I owe you.
Here are some of the questions from the Q&A entry. If you still have other questions (you can ask any number of questions), you can go back and comment on that entry. I’m answering 5 questions for now. I’ll answer the remaining questions on another entry.
..what’s your opinion on euthanasia? (Carmen)
Answer: I think it would depend on the situation. I’ve consented to have euthanasia performed on animals in the past. However, if it were a human life, I think it would be a rather difficult decision. Don’t get me wrong. I love animals. I have three dogs and six cats. But a human life is a different matter, in my opinion. I had trouble making the decision of having euthanasia performed on our very old dog by our vet, I think I would have a lot more trouble making the decision if a human life were in my hands.
Looking at your site page, you say that you’ve had five domains in five years. Can you list these domains and what you used them for (blog, portfolio, etc.)? (Amanda)
Answer: Yes. I’ve had five domains. The first was Overpopulated.org – it was a blog. I got rid of it after a year for Mile67.org, which was also a personal blog. I gave that domain to Corinne after a while and moved to Stopcrashgo.com. I got tired of that very quickly and moved to TheLexie.com. However, some people I didn’t want reading my blog found the website. So I moved here to my current domain and then turned TheLexie.com into a portfolio. I’m pretty much a domain whore.
if you had to live with only one beauty product for the rest of your life, what would it be and why? (Hannah)
Answer: It’s a tie between concealer and lip gloss. But since you said only one, I’ll say lip gloss. Because my lips easily dry and get chapped.
What kind of camera do you have? (Siv)
Answer: I have a Canon EOS 20D. But I also frequently use my dad’s Canon EOS 400D, because the 20D is really heavy. However, I don’t use DSLRs that much. I have a film SLR which I take out often and one Soviet rangefinder (a FED3) which I have with me most of the time. I pretty much waste around 20 rolls of film a month. I love digital just as much as the next person does, but film has a special place in my heart.
What is your life goal at this moment? (Destiny)
Answer: My life goal… hmm… Since I’m already on the career path that I want, I’m trying to look for more ways to serve my church.
I guess that’s it. I’ll answer the remaining questions on the next entry. If you still have other questions, feel free to ask them!
Hi, laptop memory. My dad needs you.
Amanda did an “ask me a question” session sometime last year, and decided to make it an annual thing. I wanted to do it last year, but really wasn’t able to find a perfect opportunity to start my own.
So ask me a question. Any question. I’ll try my best to answer it, unless it gives me an inexplicable urge to slather on large amounts of wrinkle cream.
I’ll answer the questions on the next entry.
Oh – and new layout, hi.
Beside my bed is a huge amount of wall. Blank wall. I have a large stack of photos lying on by night table waiting to be sorted and magic-taped on the said wall. However, I have no idea how to pull that off and make it look interesting.
I really need something to divert all the attention away from the soft pink and blue shades of my room. It always seems to be the first thing people notice when they set foot in my bedroom. I have a ton of posters too. But I usually just stick posters on the inner side of closet doors.
So, yeah. I decided on photographs. But I just don’t want to haphazardly tape stuff on my wall. So… any suggestions?
Say hello to my boring wall, which is so blank and smooth, it doesn’t even need laser hair removal in New Jersey (that didn’t make any sense at all). Help my poor wall, plz?
I didn’t get the chance to blog about WordCamp Philippines 2008 yesterday (during the event itself) because I, admittedly – was too busy playing around with Aja and his EEE PC. Plus, I really just didn’t feel like it. But I think it’s only proper that I blog about it. Better late than never, right?
Most of the day was spent with Aja and Dre. We went to the breakaway sessions together, and also sat close to each other during the plenary sessions.
The first session we attended was Creating WordPress Themes and CSS Power by Gail Villanueva. While it was certainly interesting and well-explained, I couldn’t help but sit there and think, “I think I know this already.” I did enjoy listening to the discussion – however, like Aja mentioned, I too was hoping for a more advanced discussion. I understand that it may have been made that way for the benefit of the beginner users, though.
The next session we chose was Building a Blogging Community, a topic which was tackled by Blogie Robillo. This is probably the morning session that I enjoyed the most. We were a few minutes late and we missed the beginning of the talk, but I found the tips that were discussed useful. Unfortunately, it had to be cut short. I was a little disappointed because I truly wanted to learn more. But no worries. The kit that was distributed to the campers after the event contains a CD with the presentations.
The third session we attended was Blogging and Journalism by Danilo Arao. It was a very interesting and informative session.
I was able to meet Shari in the morning, as I was claiming my WordCamp t-shirt. She was very busy since she was a volunteer, so we didn’t have much time to chat. We were able to spend more time with her at lunch and after the event, where we discussed a project that we’ve been planning for more than a year now: a Philippine Web Standards group. Hopefully we’ll be able to make some progress this year, now that we’ve all met each other.
We were also able to meet the founding developer – Mr. WordPress himself, Matt Mullenweg. He signed my WordCamp t-shirt, and we were able to take photos with him (to be more precise, we sort of ambushed him outside the auditorium). Aja looked like a little boy on Christmas morning when Matt agreed to sign his excuse letter, because Aja didn’t attend his classes that day (although I’m pretty sure Aja won’t be showing it to his professors). You can view a photo of Aja’s excuse letter here.
WordCamp 2008 was fun and I’m looking forward to seeing what they have in store for next year. I’ll be going, even if I have to sit on bar stools the whole time. Oh, and here’s a photo of my WordCamp shirt, which Matt signed! 
My brother and I have been looking for a Guitar Hero replacement until we get around to finally purchasing a controller for our PlayStation 2. I’ve settled with playing Guitar Hero III with my friend Jeremiah every chance I get (we usually get distracted by movies. This week, we’re doing an Alfred Hitchcock marathon).
Until we discovered Frets on Fire. Frets on Fire is open source (ah, music to my ears!) and licensed under GNU GPL.
Pardon my abysmal score on the screenshot. It’s been less than a day since I started playing, and I’m still getting used to the controls. Guitar Hero is much, much easier, because you aren’t confused by extra keys, unlike on FoF, your keyboard is your controller.
The differences:
Interface
Guitar Hero’s interface wins. According to Juice, Frets on Fire’s interface is, simply put, ugly. Let’s just say that FoF’s interface is okay to look at, although you can’t help but compare if you’ve been playing GH for a long time.
No whammy bar
The sound emulator doesn’t have ability to modulate pitch, so no whammy bar here.
More songs
There are a lot of fretting software available so users can fret songs of their choice. There’s also a wide selection of songs available for download – and songs from the Guitar Hero series can also be imported into the game. So this is really an advantage, because the players aren’t limited to the songs that are provided with the game… which, to be frank, really suck.
Overall, it’s a satisfactory Guitar Hero clone. And it’s a little more challenging, because you end up using the keyboard as a controller (unless you’re willing to invest in a guitar controller for your PC). There’s a possibility that you might end up pressing the wrong keys – like I always do. Just a few hours ago, I was wondering why I kept missing notes, when I realized I was pressing the F6 key instead of F5.
Oh, look at these swimsuits
Ooh! I’ve also tried out Google Chrome. I’m not done exploring it yet – so I’ll probably share my thoughts on Google Chrome in the next entry.