Every Month of 2008

January

Crude oil prices surge past US$100 per barrel. Benazir Bhutto is assassinated. 6.5 earthquake hits Greece. Hillary Clinton wins first US primaries held in New Hampshire. Sun Microsystems acquires MySQL AB. Millions are stranded ahead of Chinese New Year. Neil & Moanna tie the knot. Actor Heath Ledger dies of medication overdose. Novak Djokovic wins maiden grand slam at Melbourne as Maria Sharapova bags 3rd distinct major title.


February

New York Giants upset New England Patriots 17-14 in Superbowl XLII. UP Fair stages Loverage 2. Blu-ray replaces HD-DVD. Kosovo declares independence from Serbia. Egypt wins Africa Cup of Nations over Cameroon 1-0. Fidel Castro retires and resigns as Cuban president and is succeeded by his brother Raul. Academy honors No Country For Old Men as best motion picture and the Coen Brothers as best in directing. Leap year day is observed.


March

Forbes names Warren Buffet as world's richest man. Wales achieves Grand Slam by defeating France 29-12 in their Rugby Union RBS Six Nations match. Tibetans claim 80 people killed in the continuing unrest. Manny Pacquiao scores a split decision over Juan Manuel Marquez for the WBC super featherweight crown. Corazon Aquino is diagnosed with colon cancer. Liechtenstein, Norway and South Korea recognize Kosovo as a nation.


April

Protesters confront Olympic torch in Paris. I celebrate my first year anniversary in HP and as an electronics engineer. Trevor Immelman wins The Masters ahead of second-place Tiger Woods. Danica Patrick becomes the first woman to win in IndyCar's 2008 Indy Japan 300. Joe Calzaghe earns a split decision victory over Bernard Hopkins for The Ring light heavyweight belt. HP Labs announces the creation of the memristor - the fourth basic electronic element.


May

George Bush calls for US$700m relief aid for global food crisis. Cyclone Nargis devastates Myanmar. Dmitry Medvedev assumes Russian presidency. Olympic torch reaches peak of Everest. Over 70,000 killed by 7.9 quake in China's Sichuan province. Nel & OJ tie the knot. HP buys EDS for US$13.9b. Bloodiest bank robbery in the Philippines claims 10 lives. David Cook wins Idol. ManU pulls a 1-1 (6-5 p.s.o) victory over Chelsea to grab UEFA trophy.


June

Barack Obama wins Democratic nomination. Ana Ivanovic secures first major as Rafael Nadal earns 4th Roland Garros. Limping Tiger Woods ends season prematurely after US Open triumph. Boston Celtics defeats old rivals Los Angeles Lakers for their 17th NBA ring. UP@100. Typhoon Fengshen leaves 155 dead in the Philippines. Manny Pacquiao KO's David Diaz to become the first Asian 4-division titlist. Spain beats Germany 1-0 in Euro 2008 final.


July

Inquest on the MV Princess of the Stars disaster continues in the Philippines. Venus Williams thrashes sister Serena for her 5th Wimbledon crown while Rafael Nadal dismisses Roger Federer in the longest men's final in The Championship's' history 6-4, 6-4, 6-7 (5), 6-7 (8), 9-7. Pope Benedict XVI celebrates World Youth Day in Sydney. Dayana Mendoza of Venezuela is Miss Universe 2008. Carlos Sastre of Spain wins Tour de France.


August

Magnitude 6.0 tremor once again strikes Sichuan. Conflict in South Ossetia worsens. The Bird's Nest hosts the start of the Summer Olympics on 08-08-08. ARMM holds first electronic voting in the Philippines. Michael Phelps sets 7 world records and bags 8 gold medals in swimming as Usain Bolt goes 3-for-3 in athletics in Beijing. Rafael Nadal supplants Roger Federer as world number 1 tennis player after triumphs in Toronto Masters and the Olympics.


September

Serena Williams wins her 9th slam; Roger Federer salvages year with 5th straight US Open. I celebrate my 24th birthday. Civil war erupts in Bolivia; power-sharing pact in Zimbabwe calms the situations. World remembers 9/11. Russia claims Fed Cup. Sebastian Vettel becomes youngest F1 grand prix winner after topping the Italian GP. Milk scandal further intensifies China's bad year. USA wins Ryder Cup. Mortgage crisis triggers US recession snowball.


October

Dow Jones records biggest intraday drop finishing below the 10,000-point mark. European markets fall steeply while Asian stock exchanges tumble. Nobel Prizes are awarded to the discoverers of papilloma and HIV viruses, among others. Macedonia, Malaysia, Montenegro, Portugal and UAE recognize Kosovo. Academy Award winner Jennifer Hudson's mother and brother are murdered. Philadelphia Phillies edges Tampa Bay Rays 4-1 in 2008 World Series.


November

Lewis Hamilton edges Felipe Massa 98 to 97 becoming the youngest F1 Drivers' Champion. Sebastien Loeb wins WRC for fifth consecutive time. Barack Obama is USA's first African-American president. Chrysler, Ford and GM testify before US Congress for bailout package. Peru hosts APEC Summit amidst global financial crisis. Protesters lock up Bangkok airports. Spain wins Davis Cup. Novak Djokovic and Venus Williams prevail in yearend championships.


December

Zimbabwe cholera outbreak claims 425 lives. Micronesia recognizes Kosovo. Manny Pacquiao ends season as Fighter of the Year with 3 victories in 3 weight classes after a lopsided win over Oscar Dela Hoya. Toyota announces first operating loss in 70 years. Israel launches offensive strikes against Palestine in Gaza Strip in the middle of holiday season. Glenn and May tie the knot. CKT01 reunites. Eustaquio Family welcomes 2009 together.

Metrowalk Everyday

Well, not really everyday, but I must admit, Metrowalk has been my crib for the past couple of weekends because of my current addiction to F1 race - an addiction rekindled by my good friend Cholle.

My first time at Phi Bar was during the free viewing of Spanish Grand Prix 2008 last April 27. According to Cho, the attendance that night was considerably low - at 26. Anyway, Cho and I won a lot of prizes from the organizers (headed by Pinoy F3 and rally driver Mike Potenciano) including UNO and C! magazines (Cho actually received a free one-year subscription of C! for winning a totally honest trivia game hahaha), car cleaners (which are so useless), Toyota caps (woohoo!), BMW pouches (which my father loves), Phi Bar VIP Card (10% discount card), and 50 pesos. It was Andy (the US expat on the right) who won the money for us - he predicted the correct combination of the top 3 finishers in the right order (Kimi, Massa, Lewis). Zaldy (the guy to the right of Cholle) made a deal with us that whoever came up with the right guess should willingly split the prize money among the four of us. Too bad, Andy's bet was identical with those of 12 other people. So instead of getting the whole PhP2600 pot, we settled with just PhP200 - thus, 50 bucks for each of us. It was a great night not just for the F1 fans, but also for Scuderia Ferrari and its drivers who we were rooting for - Kimi Raikkonen and Felipe Massa. They gave Ferrari a 1-2 result that brought the team in front of the constructors' championship race.

Two weeks passed, it was May 11, the race day for the Turkish GP. Okay okay, it was Mothers' Day... so before I went to Phi to attend another free viewing, I made it sure that my whole day was spent with my mother and my family. I also managed to greet as many people, especially the moms in my phonebook, as possible through SMS - and of course birthday boy CL. Alright, back to F1... Ralph was able to join us this time (congrats, for graduating from the UP College of Business Administration). We were not so lucky this time in the raffle draws, but hey, I won in the fantasy game. I bet that Massa would win the race, Lewis would be the runner-up and Kimi coming in third - and that was the exact order of the podium finishers after they completed 58 laps of the circuit. I won PhP300... again, I did not get the whole pot of PhP2700 because 8 other contestants guessed the same combo. The prize somehow subsidized our bill for the evening - we had a bucket of beer (I think, we ordered a couple of bottles more) and a platter of thank-heaven-for-this-oh-so-yummy-nachos. Also, we all got free F2020 fuel saver (which again, is not so useful 'cause I don't have an effin' car!) and the same issue of C! mag which Cho and I got during the Spanish GP. Baduy!

Another twin-podium appearance for Ferrari - if I haven't mentioned it above, I must tell you that I am a Ferrari fan - notice the red shirts? And a Kimi fan, as well. So we headed out of Phi smiling. Scuderia Ferrari is now 19 points clear of its closest competitor BMW Sauber and 21 points ahead of long-time rival McLaren-Mercedes; Raikkonen has already amassed 35 drivers' points while Massa and Hamilton are tied in second with 28 apiece. Then we spent an hour in El Pueblo eating ice cream and fries while reminiscing the good old times and planning future gimiks/outings where hopefully, more Barkadahan peeps will be able to attend. After some deliberations, it's final - we'll be in Galera on the 30th of May until the 1st of June. Details to follow my friends. Hehe.

I was also in Metrowalk last Saturday, at Elbow Room specifically, for OJ and Nel's pre-wedding party. Vernon & Mshel, Daniel & Felise, Philip & Dae, Cheson, Elaine (OJ's sister) and other friends of the bride were there to celebrate the couple's last few days of singlehood. The food was insane - it was terrific! Got some booze, played some billiards and joined in fun games that fit the theme of the party - shower/stag party in one hahaha.

I can't wait for OJ and Nel's wedding which will be held on Sunday, May 18th at the Fort Bonifacio Officers' Clubhouse. I, too, can't wait for the Monaco GP race day on May 25th. I invite both F1 and non-F1 fans out there for another free viewing at Phi. The race commences at 8pm.

Hopefully, this week, I'll be able to watch Speed Racer, Indiana Jones and Harold and Kumar.

That's all from me tonight... until then!

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PS: Thanks Cholle and Mark, for all the pictures. I am still waiting for Mike's pictures. For more F1 viewing images, visit this link. :)

PPS: To all grammar police out there, please proofread my article 'cause I composed it during the wee hours of the night (which is getting more usual these days) while my brain was already ready to shutdown. :P

No good-byes... only see you soon!

My friends-blockmates-orgmates-01/berkmates Marien and May will pursue their respective masters studies abroad this year. May has left the country few hours ago to take up Master of Science in Electrical Engineering at Ohio State University. Marien, on the other hand, will have her flight tomorrow morning for Singapore where she will take up Master in Engineering. She is a scholar of Asian Universities Network - Southeast Asian Education Development (AUN-SEED) at the National University of Singapore. They organized joint and separate despedidas (Marien at least had her "pakain") this month of July.

To both of you, good luck and God bless.

Visit my multiply account for pictures.

LGN

I was admitted to HP's Gold's Gym fitness program. The benefit came in perfect timing as the HP SAP-ADSI umbrella group (one of the two HP teams in San Miguel Propeties Center Ortigas) goes to Grande Island Resort in Subic, Zambales on June 1 and 2. I must look good naked (Ige's terminology) before that summer event.

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I watched Spider-Man 3 last night with my fellow new hires at Shangri-La Mall's Cineplex. Like its two prequels, the film is high-budgeted (advertised as the most expensive motion picture of all time) and overflowing with special effects. For me, it is the best of the three Spider-Man movies or even the best superhero movie ever. I admit that I am a huge fan of Spidey and his love story with MJ, that's why I was carried away by the dramas featured in the movie.

The third installment's storyline was the best of the three, not to mention the inclusion of three villains, tag-team fight scenes and unexpected twists. The conclusion was a combination of tragedy and happy-ending and my favorite director, Sam Raimi, lets us imagine our own final scene for the two protagonists.

I guess, it's all I can say so as not to spoil my readers who have not yet seen the movie.

*Do you recall the wrestling ring announcer in Spider-Man 1 and the obnoxious theatre usher in Spider-Man 2? He once again appeared in Spider-Man 3 as the Frenchman waiter/receptionist of Restaurant Constellation. He is none other than Bruce Campbell a.k.a. Ashley Williams of Sam Raimi's Evil Dead trilogy. He also appeared as Liam Neeson's alter-ego in Sam Raimi's Darkman. Haha. I am really a fan of Sam Raimi.

*Stan Lee, one of the two creators of Spider-Man, also had a cameo as the pedestrian who talked to Peter Parker in front of one of New York's theatres.

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On May 7, I, with 888 other ECE board passers, will be officially inducted to the Board of Electronics and Communications Engineers of the Philippines. The oath taking will be held at the Fiesta Pavilion of The Manila Hotel - that is why, the admission tickets are sold at a whopping PhP900 each.

From then on, call me Engineer Eustaquio, ECE # 39710...

...Signing On!!!

The Number 23... Nah, just "number".

300

I and my co-reviewees watched 300 last Sunday when Excel Review Center experienced power interruption and classes were cancelled. As I see it, the movie based on Frank Miller's graphic novel about the Battle of Thermopylae Pass has storyline more or less faithful to historical facts and the movie The 300 Spartans except of course in the aspect of portraying the Persians and the addition of mythical beings. It has a similar cinematography and editing to that of Apocalypto, Passion of the Christ and Gladiator. Its stunts resemble those in Troy, or better. The special effects, though most of the time are unbelievable, are comparable to the Lord of the Rings trilogy. The thrill of watching it matches the one I felt when I saw V for Vendetta for the first time. Overall, the movie is not just good but great as well and I sure will buy a copy of it when VCD/DVD versions are released.


13

Last Tuesday, my cousin Roma and her boyfriend Frederick migrated to the US for good. Our family accompanied her to the Centennial Terminal where they had their non-stop flight to Los Angeles's LAX. They are the second couple of home-friends I somehow lost in a matter of year. A pair of siblings, Israel and Almira, also left the country last September to pursue their studies and join their dad who is based in London for almost a decade. The farewells and goodbyes were tearful, all of them are part of a bigger barkada we have back home. We have a very tight extended family and parting indeed leaves us with sweet sorrow. We promised one another that someday, we will all be present in a clan reunion showcasing our individual successes and triumphs in life. On that very special day, we are all already BIG TIME people!


26

This number represents the number of days before the much anticipated April 2007 ECE Licensure Examination. All good souls out there, please pray for all the examinees.


X

I received a call from Globe last night regarding a scheduled exam I have to take tomorrow morning. The HR person sounded familiar on the phone. She told me that her name is REGH (pronounced as "rej"), which is also a familiar nickname to me. I sensed something I can't explain. A few moments after our conversation, my phone once again rang. Now, it was just a text message that read, "Musta? Regina 2. Rmbr? Bhay k b? Pd tau usap?" My intinct was right, the lady I was talking to a while ago was indeed my ex-girlfriend. What a moment!

Anyway, she's now married to a wealthy civil engineer from La Salle and they now have a baby girl named Rianne Carla.

Okay, that's it!

Raimi

I really love Sam Raimi's movies. His works range from classic cult-horror films to adventure/science fiction motion pictures. This month, HBO lets me relive the thrilling scenes from one of my all-time favorite suspense dramas - DARKMAN. This movie starring Liam Neeson as scientist Peyton Westlake is currently being shown almost three times a week for all weeks of December on HBO Asia.

Other notable Raimi masterpieces are the Evil Dead trilogy - EVIL DEAD, EVIL DEAD II and ARMY OF DARKNESS - starring Bruce Campbell as Ashley J. Williams, and the mega-blockbuster superhero series - SPIDER-MAN, SPIDER-MAN II and the upcoming SPIDER-MAN III starring Tobey Maguire as Peter Parker/Spider-Man. Being a close friend of Raimi, Campbell who is also one of my favorite characters on the big screen, was tapped to play cameo roles on every Spider-man movie including the 2007 installment. He was the ring announcer at Peter's wresting match and the snooty, arrogant usher during one of MJ's plays (The Importance of Being Earnest).

Can't wait to see his newest work of art - the latest web-slinger flick!

Happy

Happy Ending

As I bid farewell to my very comfortable and enjoyable workplace (I'll definitely miss Logan, my ever reliable computer) in the UP Digital Signal Processing Laboratory (the best research lab in UP EEE), me and my labmates held our sem-ender last Saturday 28 October 2006 - a simple and short event yet a sweet and solemn one. Well, the "solemn" part is subjective.

Mam Gev, Sir Franz, Sir Jor-el, Mam Tess (from neighboring IML/Microlab) and Mam Dae plus Amiel, Danes, Fed, Geof, Ivy, Leo, Lyand, Mark, Micael, Pau, Tiyaw and I were all present during our Bowling/Billiards "tournament" at Xybrbowl Katipunan Ave./Aurora Blvd. Our dinner was also mouth-watering and came in an almost unlimited supply (spaghetti in white sauce, chicken barbecue and java rice with bottomless iced tea, fruit salad and cakes from Red Ribbon). Here are some of the moments stolen by Pau's digicam.






After the event, I, Danes, Ivy, Leo and Mark decided to spend the night at Amiel's house where we had a movie marathon and, as usual, food trip. We were able to watch Click, Just My Luck, Just Friends, Curious George, Scary Movie 4, Cassanova and Over the Hedge - seven movies straight!!!


Happy Birthday

Happy 22nd birthday to Liz (Oct20), Winston (Oct29), JFel (Oct30) and Emil (Oct31) and happy 23rd birthday to Almond (Oct31). Painom naman diyan!!! Haha.


Happy Halloween

Trick or treat!

Cable

Woohoo!!!

Finally, after more than six years, our cable TV connection has been re-installed (it was disconnected when I was in 3rd year high school). Now, I found a new enticing reason to choose going home over staying at the DSP Lab (where I enjoy free internet access and air-conditioned "bedroom").

I've already seen a dozen movies yesterday like American Pie 1, The Wedding Date, Hollow Man, Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events, 50 First Dates, Gremlins 2: The Next Batch, For Keeps? - to name a few. Also, I can now follow many quality programs such as the drama of the three CSI series, One Tree Hill, House, etc; the reality behind The Amazing Race, Survivor, Fear Factor, etc; the gags of Just For Laughs, Mad TV, JackTV, etc; the adventures of my anime faves and cartoon superheroes; and of course, great sporting events.

I just wish that my new pastime won't lead me to addiction. I don't like to become an obese couch potato.