furry friends

isn't it funny how commonplace creatures such as cats and dogs can bring such joy (or wreak such havoc — whichever applies in your case) in our lives?

sometimes it's just a simple matter of seeing a cat luxuriously stretching itself on your desk or watching a dog goofily chasing its tail to bring a spontaneous smile on your face. it may not sound much, but these are little things that make one's day inexplicably brighter…

sadly, i don't have pets in my place (my erratic schedule precludes me from having one). but some of my officemates do keep them — like Max (Maki's irrepressible golden retriever) and Beavis and Butthead, a couple of indolent felines whose sleeping arrangement is a source of never-ending amusement to their owner. incidentally, we have a stray cat with blue- and amber-colored eyes (i call him Boris) at our office canteen which we take turns to feed during mealtimes.

catching up

whew!! boy, am i glad the MFF is over. i hope this means that Apocalypto will soon be shown in local theaters. or maybe Pan's Labyrinth (pretty please!?). i expect Blood Diamond to rear its head in a week or two, along with the fantasy flick Eragon, which i'll probably watch because i never got around to reading the book(s). if i really get lucky, maybe they'll even show — dare i hope? — Children of Men soon (like next week) before the Oscars gets aired…  heck i'll even settle for Night at the Museum.

if i have enough time this weekend, maybe i'll hop over at SM MoA to watch the dazzling fireworks put on by various participants to the 2nd WorldPyro Olympics. i sure could use some colorful distraction these days. maybe i'll even remember to bring along my camera just in case.

back to the grindstone

it's the 3rd day of 2007. i've just re-read what i wrote 4 days ago and frankly i'm amazed at all the mistakes i managed to squeeze into a 4-paragraph entry. Cosmetic tinkering took several rewrites and edits. i know, i know … i could've written a different piece which i'm sure would have been less troublesome, but still i feel a little better after having finally tied up this particular dangling thread.

and so, i'm back in my table staring at my computer screen and waiting for that lightbulb moment — you know, the kind of scene where you snap your fingers, shout 'eureka!" and start scribbling furiously… err except that i still have this huge blank space staring right back at me…

. . .

35 minutes later… (uhhh, is it only me or did iPh just blink off the past 15 mins?)

hooh-kayy!! just got back from a quick refreshing trip outside my cubicle. i guess i needed the change of scene to distract me from mourning the fact that my ZVM is gasping its last breath (hwaahhh!). i stupidly dropped it during the holidays (a regrettable floor/ZVM interface) and it's badly cracked on the side. it also got badly bruised 3 weeks ago when it slipped off my palms while i was on the treadmill, along with a few other scratches (which i like to think of as battle scars) it managed to collect after 12 months of heavy use.

i love(d) my ZVM. despite its short life [mostly my own fault] and the deplorable lack of accessories and Creative technical support in the local market, i'd still prefer it to iPod. in fact, i've just ordered the 60gb variant — after owning a ZVM, you just wouldn't want to settle for iPod's dull, uninspiring screen (sorry iPod fans…). why? because ZVM has a longer battery life, excellent screen, (heaps) better video capability (5 hrs!) and great audio quality among other things [excuse me while i blow my nose]