Summerrr

Summer love is reading heaps of e-books. Done with Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? and Perfume. Next read: The Ebony Tower.

And I plan to review books I read too. Reviews here in my new site.

Hello happy reading summer!

Do Android Dream of Electric Sheep?

I have no idea. Even after reading Philip Dick's novel. But the good guess is no.

Empathy is still something robots/humaniods/androids -whatever you wanna call them- don't have, as far as Dick is concerned with Nexus 6.

In conclusion, humans are still the dominant life form even if some androids become smarter than some humans. Empathy, the ability to feel and feel the same way as others will always be unique to living creatures. Then again it points out that it's not about how smart a creature is, but on how human it/he/she is.

Lesson learned: Intellect is not everything. There's more to this world and that is life. What profit is it for us when we gain the world but don't have/lose the soul? The lesson learned is very similar to the old Little Mermaid story (with the wind maidens at the end of the story).

[But it still differs because Rick Deckard the protagonist is human. Were the story told from the point-of-vie of androids, then that would be something. However the androids in the story and not capable of contemplating and feeling emotions.]

**photo from http://www.coverbrowser.com/covers/philip-k-dick/13**

By the end of the story I didn't know what happened to the dead cat and if its owner recognized the new one as a fake. And I wonder what happens to J. R. Isidore the chickenhead -I find his character too interesting. What happened to the other bounty hunter Phil Resch? And how's his squirrel? When will I have my own electric sheep and when will Google come up with a Nexus 6? lol

I still have questions unanswered after reading the book. Which is ok. I love wondering about what happens next.

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Will post a decent review at SCRATCHPOST. Next book: Perfume. 

back to civilization!

Been here for more than a week! Haha!

Anyway, to reward myself after sleeping in a tent for seven nights and walking a couple of hundred meters to get to the bathroom, I treated myself with: karaoke-ing and eating grilled food a few hours after arriving, buying myself a new wallet, and putting on nail art.

Yay nail art! My 12-yr-old brother taught me how to apply the nail shiz. Weird how my brother being around five feet, eight inches tall with a bulky built was actually teaching me how to do this girly stuff.

I'll be posting stuff from Isabela. Well, friends have posted pictures and video logs on Facebook anyway. Butbutbut, I want my own posts. A few pictures here.

find the geek

I had to beg for a friend to answer these questions. We see each other almost every school day so interviewing him seems a bit exploitative, but for the sake of grades (yes, grades before friendship. joke lang. haha)... I asked asked if I could write about him. haha


I got to interview and post the the story on Dr. Gapalon anyway so there's really no big need for me to be posting this -but it'll be such a waste. BUT wait, I could post this for my 5th story. haha


*photo grabbed from his Facebook account*
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Not all geeks wear thick glasses and spend their lives stuck in front of a computer. No; sometimes you'll find a geek jogging or biking, playing frisbee, playing the drums, goofing around in a mascot on top of a van, or maybe even approaching you and asking if you've heard the news that "God loves you."

Geek, from the Urban Dictionary definition number four, is "an outwardly normal person who has taken time to learn technical skills."

Stanley Semilla -Stan, Es or Tan, whatever you want to call him, is a normal 18-yr-old UP student. He wakes up early in the morning, goes to school, sleeps in class, is active in a student organization, he eats, does his school work, goes to Church, listens to music, just like a regular teenager. Just add that he trains in the Computer Science Department's Programming team, and spends the rest of the night until the wee hours of the morning in front of the computer.

What's a geek? Stan threw a strange look at me, as if saying "Mafi nakakasakit ka na ah!" but laughed it off anyway. "Somebody who wants to know and learn about computers," was his own definition of a geek. No saying about spending countless hours in front of the computer and programming using different computer languages -which is by the way also true to him.

Are you a geek? And the answer I never heard him say, I read from his reply via e-mail: "yes." He said that by his definition of a geek, he qualifies as one. He does love learning about computers and how they work.

Stan grew up as a pastor's kid in the province of La Union. He first wanted to be a pastor when he was in pre-school, and later on wanted to be a computer programmer when he was in elementary.

When he was seven years old, Stan learned how to play the drums. He said he does not recall exactly why he agreed to learn how to play, but what he said he knows for sure is that he plays for the Lord. Until now, he still plays when he goes back to his hometown, and gets to self-study via Youtube videos.

His first encounter with computer programming was in high school, where they, along with other high school students, simply copy-pasted codes. When he was about to enter UP as a Computer Science student, he felt pressured and did his self-study on programming. And that was it. He was later invited to be part of the department's programming team.

Aside from programming, he also does other stuff when he uses his computer. He is one creative chap who also tinkers with the Photoshop for fun. In the student organization he belongs to, some refer to him as the one-man Photoshop committee. He has been active in his organization that he played one of their mascots the last UP Diliman Lantern Parade.

What is remarkable about him is how he manages to balance his time. It's given he spends hours and hours in front of the computer, although not necessarily programming. But other than that, he also has plenty of time for friends and other activities. There goes the Urban Dictionary definition number four that geeks are "outwardly normal persons."

Right now his new passion is biking. He sometimes bikes the considerable distance from Cubao to UP Diliman. He also goes jogging and plays ultimate frisbee. So much for geeks having a sedentary lifestyle.

Stereotypes are just what they are, stereotypes -based on oversimplification. Stan is but one example of the deviations from the view on the geek. Thick glasses, antisocial behavior, sedentary lifestyle, use of jargon, inability to communicate in spoken English, may not be true for all geeks out there. You just have to observe more and find out that geeks come in different packages. Or who knows, find the geek within you.

planning 2010

I'm planning 2010 and what better way to plan than with a... planner. Sabaw much. But seriously, I got a cool planner custom-made for CCC. Designed by none other than ze Donya Quixote, Ate Chebi. *cheers*

I know it's the middle of February and I'm writing about a planner. Life gets hard with other things I have to write about and submit for grades. XP

Where was I? Oh.... For 165 pesos, you get a cool planner. And and and! I availed of the buy-one-take-one promo in UP, and gave the other one to a good friend. :)

First, I like the size. Spiral-bound at around 8x6 inches in dimension, it's super handy.

It also has good space for the monthly calendar.

Wide spaces for the dailies. However, the smaller spaces for the weekends is a con for those who plan stuff for the weekends. Quite encouraging for me, nonetheless, to treat them as weekends and confine work in weekdays. XD

See? I started planning. Yay!

The downside: It came our on January 28. Blank spaces for the first few days of January. (I used them for taking note of possible internship employers. Haha)

Some other bonuses (big bonuses if you're from CCC) found at the back part are the pages for prayer journal, disciple list, address pages, and the Four Spiritual Laws! Haha

You really get your money's worth. I just hope they start on next year's planner so a December release would be possible. :)