A lot has happened in the past seven days. We had our first automated elections, another Aquino is poised to lead the country (to a still undetermined destination), a new Marcos will be in the Senate, President Gloria Arroyo will be transferring to a lower seat, and Willie has again dug himself a hole that hopefully would be deep enough to keep him there.
And along with all that, just as I was enjoying the double three, I suddenly turned 34.
They say time flies when you’re having fun, but what we often fail to realize is that the years pass by a lot quicker the more you try to hold still.
While most of my friends have gotten married and are busy juggling their kids and careers, I feel like I have been stuck in high school mode—still chasing girls, pursuing vague dreams and looking for that one true love that would give me a sense of direction.
I always thought I had it all figured out. After college, I was going to help with the family business, learn the trade, start my own, marry my girlfriend, have two kids and spend my free time playing video games.
But fate, it seems, has an issue with plans. The business was not doing well, the girlfriend left, and video games were all that remained.
I was forced to go with plan B. Unfortunately, my Plan B was like an MMORPG, full of side quests and no definite goal in sight. It’s not that I’ve been a jobless bum. And the fact is I really do enjoy writing, but it’s the fulfillment of my wallet that has left me wanting. Plan B also involved my strange fascination with fame, which perhaps explains my diverse job experience, and my not so memorable TV appearances on the defunct “Philippine’s Most Wanted.”
To all my loyal readers who keep on sending texts and e-mails; to my bosses at The Manila Times, specially my editors, Rome Jorge and Perry Mallari; to Chit Licauco and Tessa Mauricio Arriola who first gave me this space almost 10 years ago; to Tonypet Rosales who encouraged me to write and convinced Gibbs Cadiz to print it; to my parents who still allow me to live in their house for free; to my friends, both real and “Facebook,” and to the Man in the Sky who continues to renew my lease on life— thank you very much.
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Gigabyte to hold first GOOC in the Philippines
On May 21, 2010, Gigabyte, in cooperation with Asian Technologies Computer Corp., will be holding the first ever Gigabyte Open Overclocking Championship (GOOC) in the country at the Cyberzone, SM City North EDSA Annex.
Only 10 participants will be chosen to take part in the Philippine GOOC live competition and the winner will be the Philippine representative to the GOOC Pan Asia Regional Championships. To qualify, benchmark requirements are as follows:
1. SuperPi 1M
Required Version: SuperPi Mod v1.5
The screenshot must have open windows of SuperPi and CPU-Z, with CPU-Z showing the processor, motherboard and memory tabs.
A CPU-Z validation link for the SuperPi 1M run must be included with the submission. The contestant’s name (the name appearing on the submitted entry) must be on the CPU-Z validation page to be qualified.
2. Intel Burn Test
Stress Level: Standard
Times to Run: 5
Threads: No Restrictions
The screenshot must have open windows of Intel Burn Test and CPU-Z, with CPU-Z showing the processor, motherboard and memory tabs.
A CPU-Z validation link for the Intel Burn Test run must be included with the submission. The contestant’s name (the name appearing on the submitted entry) must be on the CPU-Z validation page to be qualified.
Final scores will be computed by adding the result of the SuperPi 1M run (in seconds) to 1/10th of the score (in seconds) of the Intel Burn Test run. The top 10 contestants with the lowest scores (in seconds) at the end of the submission period will qualify for the live competition.
The Pan Asia Regional Championships will be held on June 19, 2010. In preparation, the winner will be flown to Taiwan for a special, all-expense paid, overclocking bootcamp before the championships.
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Ragnarok Online: Episode 21 Brasilis is coming on May 19!
The tropical island of Brasilis is brimming with flora and fauna that’s larger than life, with plants and trees that grow faster and stronger than anywhere else in the world. Botanists and tourists from all over Rune Midgard travel here to marvel at its natural wonders . . . but behind its exotic beauty lies a dangerous secret.
Legend tells of a mermaid that lives deep inside the forest, in Brasilis’ great waterfalls. It is said that male citizens unfortunate enough to wander the waterfalls were never seen again. Is there any truth to the stories? It’s time for brave adventurers to step up and uncover the mysteries of the deep forest once and for all!
Plunge into Brasilis, Ragnarok Online’s latest patch. Discover new monsters, exciting new quests and much more.
Visit http://ragnarok.levelupgames.ph for more information.