Hot Be Careful

Here's another interesting picture. Wendy's has this small booth downstairs and they've recycled their materials for other products. With this, it was my first to end up a frosty that was "Hot, be careful"

Thai Take Out Food

I love Thai food even those that come from take out boxes. It's just a bit awkward ordering take out from somewhere called "Thai in a Box" because face it, not all people will pronounce "Thai" properly.

Punch Out!

ohboy ohboy ohboy ohboy ohboy ohboy ohboy ohboy ohboy ohboy ohboy ohboy!!!

There are three (so far) Wii games I’m looking forward to this year. One of them just arrived today in the Philippines, it's now distributed by the local software shop and it’s now reserved under my name *ultra big smile*

Remember this guy?


Yup, that's King Hippo and he's from the old Punch Out game for NES (Nintendo Entertainment System). Man, did I love this game. I played this a lot with my childhood chums while it was still too hot out to go biking, play patintero or to play in nearby construction sites, particularly the sand mountains.

There were other family computer games that are close to my heart but Mike Tyson’s Punch Out is one of the closest (it’s right there with Twin Bee, Contra, Ice Climber, Jackal, Adventure Island, Double Dragon and my ultimate favorite: Mario 3). The family computer was one of the defining things in my generation which one would automatically belong as to if you knew "up up down down left right left right B A B A" and what it did.

I had a big rush of nostalgia back in 2007 when I was assigned to Chicago. I was bored one day and stumbled upon an old NES emulator application and a site where I can download some old roms. Punch Out was one of the things I looked for right away and playing it again after so long felt so happy. I was still rusty though and I had trouble playing it through a keyboard and even old Piston Honda (the level 3 opponent) put me down. I felt like a kid again.

A few months ago, I caught this ad while watching Red Sox clips online announcing that Punch Out will be making its return to the Wii gaming platform after so many years. I was just sooooo happy happy happy happy. *ultra big smile again*

Eventually, the game was released in the US and I was eager for it to arrive in the Philippines. I frequented the nearby software shop from my place but they didn’t carry it. They didn’t even know what it was. Over a month has past and still nothing, not even a peep. I was getting worried since I know I’m probably part of a small population that buys original games and it’s possible that not all games would make it here to Manila.

If it will come, it will come and true enough it did.

I called the shop again to ask about a different game (Grand Slam Tennis) and they said it was just recently released and it will probably take weeks before it arrives… “but oh, Punch Out’s available now, would you like to reserve one?”.

“ummm... ok”

Now define coincidence. That software shop is just beside the shop Jaye and I will be dropping by later (we’ll be getting some drivers for our laptop). That plus, it's a holiday tomorrow.

Oh happy day. =)

CG3 vs GT Towers

That's the Cybergate 3 building on the left. GT Tower is on the right.

When I was a new hire, I was assigned first to the PSE building where I took my training. After a month, I was assigned to 6750 then to MSE then eventually to GT Towers where I stayed for almost 5 years. Last month, we packed our rolling bins and went to Robinson's Cybergate 3 in Mandaluyong. I'm still try to get used to life A.G.T (after GT) and I can't help but compare the last 2 offices I've worked in. Which one's better?

Office ambiance
Let’s start from the outside. GT is found right smack in the middle of Makati. Working in Makati gives you the same sense as working downtown (in the US) where all the big businesses are based. Look outside the window and you'll see PBCom (the tallest building in the Philippines) and RCBC (one of the most modern buildings in the Philippines). Look at the office directory and you'll notice you share the building with other major international companies.

Look outside CG and you’ll see a regular office building (Globe). On the other side, there's the Pasig river and a construction site where shirtless workers play basketball every afternoon. While some businesses are near CG, suddenly I don’t feel as big as before. Knowing that you share the building with local businesses doesn't help either.

CG3 is also known for thefts. We get stories of items being stolen from the desks and even from inside the bins. Sad isn't it?

If I stand up, I see people working side by side like in a factory assembly line or an internet cafe. There are barely any decorations and the pantry is small. There’s also just one microwave oven so you need to fall in line early. Toilets are ok if you’re a guy since there are two on each side. There’s only one ladies’ room, go figure. Conference rooms are the same but CG3 has these huddle rooms for small meetings.

Working in GT is like driving my mom's car. It's clean, it's nice, there's a CD collection on the visors and the car stereo gives justice to the good music I listen to. Working in CG is like driving my dad's car. There are newspapers, shoes and clothes in the backseat. There are onions below the seat. The radio barely works and the inside smells like old socks. Yes, it takes you where you want to go but there are days when the rolling onions aren't really funny anymore.

Advantage: GT

Stores and Restaurants
GT boasts the 12th floor “Food and Art Galerie”. Being a photographer, I love it when they hold exhibits because the entries are really good. The cafeteria has a variety of snack stands and big booths. While I like the food they serve, the prices are high since a normal meal would cost 80-100 bucks. They also have a single booth for drinks and they really jack up the prices. How can they serve mocha fraps that are almost as expensive as Starbucks?

CG3 has this dinky cafeteria in the ground floor. It has small booths that serve decent food. They’re pretty much unknown except for Country Style Donuts and Wendy’s. There are also some small restaurants up front and they all serve relatively cheap food. There’s also a mall 15 minutes away you can go to in case you're suddenly craving for KFC's famous bowls.

So who wins? Both have nearby Ministop stores. Both are within walking distance from a Starbucks and a McDonald's. CG3 though has rumors of rat related stories and there are some people who refused to eat downstairs and wouldn't tell why. Let's put it this way, if I told you there were rats in GT, would you think I'm lying?

Me neither.

Advantage: CG3. I'm gave a minus point to GT for all those Fitness First agents that harrassed me but I gave it plus points since it was somewhat near to a Jollibee. Hmmm, maybe that's why they harrassed me.

Amenities
GT had a Metrobank machine in the 12th floor and in the ground floor. GT is beside a BPI which has this ATM machine that has that automated cash deposit. GT is also beside Cityland where Jaye pays her apartment fees. GT is also closer to Jaye’s apartment so we can have lunches over there. There’s also a nearby camera shop where I buy my stuff so it’s easy to head out there during lunch breaks. On the business side, everything’s there however on the leisure side, it’s close to zilch unless you love shopping at Book Sale.

CG3 doesn’t have a Metrobank machine. CG3 doesn’t have that fancy BPI ATM booth. It’s close to a mall so you can buy there all the small items you need (Mercury Drugstore, grocery, department store, National bookstore, etc…). There’s a big badminton court beside CG3 (though I haven’t been there).

Advantage: CG3. I’m really a mall kind of guy and I’ve been itching to play badminton again with Jaye.

Parking
GT charges 130 per day. CG3 charges 80 per 12 hours (then 10 bucks per hour afterwards). The backup for GT is RCBC while the backup for CG3 is CG2 and the mall parking. Space is scarce though since the parking space in CG3 is full by 8:30am compare to 10:30am in GT.

Advantage: CG3. The lack of parking space made me come in earlier and I guess that’s a good thing. The weird spiral ramp also gives me a chance to work on my drifting skills.

Location
Let me put it this way. Travel time to GT: 1.5 hours. Travel time to CG3: 30-45 minutes. That's almost one hour less battling with EDSA buses, FX drivers and less strain on my knee stepping on the clutch. I also don't miss Makati's weird one way streets.

Advantage: CG3… by a mile.

My Final Verdict:

Cybergate 3. Location and distance were major categories but I'm going with CG3 since Jaye's here as well. =)

The Comeback (Sort Of)

It’s nice to be back on the basketball court with my uniform and my sneakers on for my first game since my major injury. Is it a coincidence that I’m playing on the court (sort of) where I last played tournament basketball 5 years ago?

There are a lot of things that have changed.

5 years ago, I wore my red And1 basketball shoe, my only red shoe at that time. Last night, I wore my second ever red shoe – my Nike Air Zoom Kobe IV.

5 years ago, I wore a thigh sleeve. Last night, I wore metal knee braces on both knees.

5 years ago, I wore a headband to keep sweat off my eyes since I had very short hair. Last night, I wanted to wear a headband to keep my hair off my eyes (but didn’t since my white headband didn’t go with the rest of the uniform).

5 years ago, I’m the scorer type – running fast breaks, hitting open three’s and harassing dribblers. Last night, I was on the post setting screens and just jumping around senselessly. I couldn't shoot anymore and I couldn't even last long on the court with my poor stamina.

5 years ago, well, I was 20 pounds lighter and I wasn’t undergoing rehab then. I’m still in stage 2 of my rehab which means I can have limited lateral movement and I can sprint in bursts. Still a long ways to go but then, it’s a long season.

My stats last night – 10 minutes, 1 assist, 2 fouls and one wild tear drop that barely grazed the rim. We won by 16. My knees were already numb, my foot was giving out, my ankles were screaming and my thigh felt like it was poked with syringes. The pain’s there but I never really felt it and I still had a big smile.

5 years ago, I was alone in these games. I lost games alone. I won games alone. This time, Jaye’s on my side and I almost pity her since she’s cheering for the worst and fattest player on the court. Last night, I've never been so happy playing this game after 5 long years.