Sad Songs Say So Much

So I just received my copy of Breathe's "Peace of Mind" the other day. Remember them? They who spawned the vest craze back in High School with the video from their song "How Can I Fall?" Yes, I'm a sap. I bought this CD because I was looking for the song "Does She Love That Man", which partnered with Breathe's older song "All This I Should Have Known" are a one-two punch to the gut for someone who just broke up with their significant other.

I had Breathe's first album, "All That Jazz", so I already had a copy of "All This I Should Have Known"; however, I wanted "Does She Love That Man" as well, and I couldn't find it on any of the legal sites. I was hesitant to buy the CD just for that one song, but I found one used for 47 cents. 47 cents! Shipping was $2.49, but hey, $3.00 for two songs ("Say A Prayer" was also on the CD) seemed to be worth it.

So why the sudden urge to look for this song? It's not that I'm suddenly pining for a lost love (happily married with two kids!); it just started after hearing an 80's New Wave CD in my friend JC's car ("We're always fighting for the state of the natiooooooooon." Heh.). It got me looking for "Burning Flame" by Vitamin Z (another why-did-we-break-up song). I thought I found it at Landmark, but instead found out it was a cover (the Pinoy accent gave it away). Finally, I was able to find a podcast that played it (along with an excellent Sting cover of "Aint No Sunshine"). I then started looking for other songs which I hadn't been able to find before; like "I'll Get By" by Eddie Money; "Distance Between Us" by Fra Lippo Lippi; "Different Seasons" by Johnny Hates Jazz; and "Does She Love That Man" by Breathe.

Come to think of it, those are all break up songs from the 80's. Huh. I guess I really am a sap.

Mensa this!

Found these games while reading through The Straight Dope Message Board. The games are deceptively simple; however, since there are no instructions, you have to try and figure it out on your own. Kinda reminds me of those old Mensa tests. I managed to get everything except 7 and 9 on my own; I needed a hint for 7 and 9.

Whiners, Not Winners

So as I'm writing this Dallas is playing Miami in Game 6 of the Championship. I used to like the Dallas Mavericks, starting from the days of the Three Js; they were somewhat loveable losers at that point, until Nash, Nowitski and Finley changed their team and they began winning. Then Game 5 of the Finals occurred, and I began to seem them as Whiners, rather than Winners.

It all starts at the top, with Mark Cuban, of course. Oh, sometimes his antics are funny, like the Dairy Queen stuff he pulled. But more often than not he gets out of line, getting fined $250,000 (!) for his outbursts after Game 5.

Then we get to "The Little General", Avery Johnson. Boy, this guy's a whiner. Remember after Game 1 of the Dallas-SA, when he complained about Bruce Bowen's defense? I don't think Bowen ever got a fair call from the refs after that. Johnson then hung a reporter--a reporter, mind you, for the Dallas Morning News--out to dry for asking a simple question (pretty much "What did you think of that call on Wade's drive?").

The players? Well, there's Josh Howard, being surly. Dirk's kicking a ball to the stands. Devin Harris is throwing a tantrum on the floor as I watch Game 6, legs flailing like a little boy.

And, of course, the fans. Complaining about the free throw discrepancy (forgetting about the 50-32 FT difference during Game 3 of the Dallas-SA series). Complaining about that ticky-tack foul that resulted in the game-winning free-throws by Wade(forgetting about the ticky-tack foul that resulted in the game-winning free-throws by Dirk in Game 3 of the Dallas-SA series). Complaining about the fact that Wade went to the free-throw line 25 times (forgetting about Dirk's 24 FTs in Game 3 of the Dallas-SA series). Boy, those fans sure have a short memory, don't they?

Whine, whine, whine. Just play already. Dallas may ultimately win, but they would've whined themselves to a championship.

UPDATE: Well, congratulations to Miami. I guess Dallas spent too much time whining that it took their eyes away from the prize.

Thirty Three

So I turn Larry Bird today, and would drink Rolling Rock if I could. How did we celebrate? Well, we tried watching Cars, but the kids got restless halfway thru. Being the good neighbors that we are, we took the kids outside, where they proceeded to run up and down the hallways, screaming their little heads off. Pretty soon a couple of parents followed suit, and came out with their toddlers in tow. I never did find out whether Lightning McQueen learned humility. We then had some dinner, whereupon Amelie proceeded to finish a whole bunch of tortilla chips. I had some country-fried steak, and wished I had regular steak instead. Unfortunately, I've never really had a good steak in a restaurant chain, except for Hungry Bear over in Fullerton, so I didn't want to be disappointed again.

33. Just another day, I suppose, until 40. Then it's mid-life crisis time.

Goooooaaaaallllllllll

Huh, I don't get it.

I tuned in to watch the USA and Italy kick their way to a draw today in the World Cup. I'm still not sure if I get it, much less like it. Oh, it does get exciting when a goal is scored, primarily because it seems so hard to get it into the net; however, the constant back and forth, just kicking the darned ball gets boring after a while. Maybe it's because I'm not really rooting for any particular team; I guess I'm partial to the US, seeing as I live here. There's no particular player I really like, unless you count Keira Knightley.

Or maybe it's just really boring. Then again, I like baseball, and I got absorbed watching the Ashes in Australia back when England was a sorry bunch of cricketeers (quite a while back).

It's all really a matter of taste, I suppose.

Another Waste of Time

In the vein of that Virgin find-the-musical-acts, here's another Time Waster:

LOVEFiLM

Right now I have around 75 for sure, with around 8 maybes.

Tagged

Unfortunately, I don't really know any other bloggers, so the chain stops here.

4 jobs I've had in my life
1. Tech Specialist/DBA
2. Consultant
3. Analyst
4. Um...barista? (as soon as our coffee shop opens)

4 movies I could watch over and over again
1. Howl's Moving Castle
2. Spirited Away
3. The Incredibles
4. The Lord of the Rings Trilogy

4 Places I've lived
1. BF Homes, Paranaque, Philippines
2. Orange County, CA
3. San Francisco, CA
4. Chicago, IL

4 TV shows I love to watch
1. The Amazing Race
2. Lost
3. 24
4. ESPN News

4 Places I've been on vacation
1. Amsterdam
2. Cancun
3. The Caribbean
4. Boracay

4 websites I visit daily
1. gmail.google.com
2. The Straight Dope
3. Yahoo!
4. ESPN.com

4 of my favorite foods
1. Pad See Yew (or however they spell it--the Thai flat noodles)
2. Bun + ____ (Vietnamese vermicelli noodles with BBQ pork/egg rolls/shrimp)
3. My mother-in-law's fried chicken (just salt and pepper)
4. Bacolod Chicken's Inasal na Manok

4 places I'd rather be right now
1. Florence, Italy either in a walking tour or guiding said walking tour
2. Snorkelling in Cancun, Mexico
3. Hanging out with family and friends in The Philippines (afterglow still there)
4. The Louvre (didn't really get to see it, we were so tired)

4 bloggers I'm tagging
End of the road, I'm afraid...

I'm Back!!!

Yep, back from the Philippines. Went on vacation for three weeks, visiting Cebu and Boracay. It was kind of a bummer, since I didn't see a lot of my friends--they were either out of the country (Calai) while I was there, or was in the city while I was in Cebu/Boracay (Richelle). Oh well, at least my parents got to enjoy playing with the twins.

Overall, I had a great time in the Philippines--a lot had changed since the last time I was there four years ago; my old subdivision, BF Homes, seems to have morphed into one big strip mall. I was also pleasantly surprised that everything seemed clean--no stacks of garbage lying around! Unfortunately, the pinoy driving style was still in full effect. I had also forgotten the way we pinoys watched movies as well; the wife actually yelled "Would you please SHUT UP" to the geeks behind us commenting on everything in X3 (it worked, though). Plus, of course, it was humid.

Everything else was great--the islands were fantastic, and the wife was in shopping heaven. I actually got tired of eating while I was there.

Going back to the US was a bit of a nightmare. I'm still fuming over the fact that you need to get your bags x-rayed and searched not once, not twice, but THREE frickin' times--with the last x-ray/search not a hundred feet from the last one! That seems so inefficient. Maybe it's a way to show foreigners that the airport is safe? It's more inconvenient than anything.

Celebrity sightings:
* Fidel Ramos was in our plane going to the Philippines. He posed for pictures, and walked once around the plane
* The former NCC sharpshooter, Chip Engelland, read one of my previous posts and dropped in a nice little comment. I'm starstruck, I tell ya, starstruck! Maybe I can ask for an autograph. =)