The Comfort Rooms

Just before the clock strikes September 1st here in the Philippines, allow me to share a few things:

*For the nth time, I feel lonely again. Only this time, the person I confide with the most isn't there (deliberately) to help me out and comfort me. Besides, I don't think that person completely understands me. Why make the effort right?

*Since I got no one to share problems with, some malicious forces from the inside earth creep in. Since they love the spotlight, I will be more than happy to give it to them.

*I feel sorry for quite poking fun on mainstream bloggers. I was just sharing honest opinions.

*The med tech at St. Luke's told me that I have strong blood pressure. I donated a bag of blood for a kidney patient. Hope he got no malignant cyst on one of his kidneys. I was able to finish off a bag of blood within 10 minutes. I'm a 110/70 so no, I got no high blood.

*I hope to see the love of my life soon. Her coming will end my loneliness for sure. Sometimes, even best buddies are not enough, especially when jeepers creepers creep in usually.

*I hope best buddy can say sorry this time. And for jeepers creepers to bug off. And for the love of my life to come back soon.

*Maybe it will never be too late to find someone who could relate to me more than what best buddy could do at best huh? At least jeepers creepers can satisfy his homo-love (oops!) for as long as his gayness wants.

*I'm outta here. Love of my life, come back and we'll hate them for all we care.

STATEMENT OF JAPETH AGUILAR

When I returned home after graduating from Western Kentucky University it was mainly because I wanted the chance to play for the Philippines in the FIBA Asia Championships and feel the pride that comes from playing for my country.

Unfortunately it didn’t go too well. But having seen first hand what it was like, how the teams from the Middle-East played and the system they followed, I felt the challenge to try again and to take them on, confident that we could surely do better the next time with hard work, dedication and the willingness to sacrifice and learn.

I am prepared to do just that. My father Peter who also played for the Northern Consolidated national team wants me to do that and so do the other members of our family.

The only way I can achieve this goal is by playing for the Smart Gilas development team under coach Rajko Toroman provided of course that they accept me since I had initially decided to enter the PBA Annual Draft.

I am confident that they will.

The experience of Tinajin, China, opened my eyes and told me that if I truly want to help my country in international basketball I will have to sacrifice a career in the pro league with all the glamour and all the perks, and join the national pool for the present time.

I will always be grateful to coach Yeng Guiao for the opportunity he gave me to play for the Philippines, Powerade Team Filipinas manager JB Baylon and PBA Commissioner Sonny Barrios for their kindness, understanding and support.

I wish to extend my deep sense of gratitude to coach Yeng, Burger King team owner Mr. Bert Lina and team manager and PBA chairman Lito Alvarez for their confidence in my ability by making me their No.1 draft pick.

I trust they will understand that my desire to play for my country means more to me and my family than anything else.

I have made the choice with my family’s blessings and encouragement.

I hope and pray that my countrymen will support me in the effort to help strengthen the Philippine Team in its continuing quest for respect and redemption in international basketball.
SGD. Japeth Aguilar

Ruben Studdard was the American Idol Season 2 winner. The one of only two American Idol seasons that weren't shown here in the Philippines. He was that season's teddy bear and people showered him with so much love, they made him that season's winner. Even the judges hailed his victory way before the final showdown, which he made and pit his man-pipes against the man-gay-diva-now father Clay Aiken.

Ruben, after countless youtube video screenings, is I think the plumper version of LeBron James. And LeBron is the thin version of Ruben. That was the impression I got after watching the Alabama native's videos over and over again.

You need no LeBron James intro, don't you? You must have known by now that he is currently NBA's biggest disappointment among active players. Why? Because he still has yet to win an NBA championship. He will one day. He's still young (around 24). Everybody in basketball circles know he will someday win the championship.

You think the two superstars in their own field look alike?

That was pretty sick. Not a single Asian candidate made it thru into this year's Miss Universe.

While Miss Venezuela was a worthy winner (one of only two candidates who made sensible responses), I thought Miss Australia would win it since she was the other one who made a good answer, aside from Miss Venezuela. The Aussie finished 4th.

I couldn't answer why Misses Dominican Republic and Kosovo got higher Q&A scores than Miss Aussie.

I guess Mister Trump and his cohort of old men loved the Latinas and the Eastern European more than they loved the Aussie.

But still, I can't believe not a single Asian woman made it thru. Even among the top 15.

One thing I love about my blogging is that I don't get paid to write about stuff. Which means, I have the freedom to write and feature anyone and everyone I thought that would be worth my interest. Well, I once agreed to get paid (I felt like a whore) for an event but the money given to me couldn't even pay a month's worth of cellphone fees.

I wanna write about this Young JV kid I heard for the second time while channel browsing earlier this morning. The first time I saw his video (on MTV) I thought it was just another Fil-Am trying to make it big here. But I thought the hip-hop music he offered was authentic, being a hip-hop music lover myself. But that first "meeting" really didn't register well on my memory.

Fast forward to 2 hours ago, I was channel surfing when I got into Channel 65 (MYX) and again got the privilege to hear that new Fil-am who's making interesting hip-hop music. The voice was kinda okay, reminiscent of a T-Pain. But the music was good. Excellent in terms of Pinoy urban scene. Kinda like Sun Valley Crew all over again. He is a dead ringer to another Fil-am singer named JR Aquino whom I have featured on my blog around twice already.

Why am I featuring this kid? Because he can be amazing. A local Chris Brown, albeit less chessy and no woman-beating perhaps? Could be. A new Fil-am to make it big in the country. Certainly no. You know why? Because he isn't Fil-am at all! A definite home-bred! Which made it more special in my opinion. A Francis M in the future? That we'll have to see.

But to us all, let's keep an eye on this kid. He could really be something big some day.

At the end of it all, we all have to give these guys the round of applause they greatly deserved.
We shouted, pumped our fists, groaned, sweat, jumped, and cursed with them althroughout the FIBA Asian Championship. We hated that man-monster from Taiwan or that giant from Korea and be helpless whenever our precious players had to endure the Dhalsim-like limbs and wingspan of the Arabians. Though they ended the tourney with a ranking of 8th, we can't really complain much. Besides, 8 is a lucky number right?
If I could only have my own say, I wish the PBA could adopt the international style of ball play and that the national team could hold regular practices. A weekend per month would do perhaps? Eversince I started watching Asian basketball way back in Hiroshima in 1994, I have always heard the same type of excuses. Our guys need to freaking adjust.
Despite the bullcrapped results, I'm still proud of the Powerade Team Pinas. I should give credit and special citations to the following players:

I can't believe it. The Ten Most Influential Blogs of 2009 has been revealed. It is a listing of the best Filipino blogs that have come up this year or at least less than a year old. I think.

I thought Good Times Manila was a shoo-in cos it was funny, sarcastic, and witty. It was an instant hit, proof of it would be the hundreds of comments it receives per post. I could only dream of having such a huge number of following. It also boasts of a lengthy blog roll, thanks to its link exchange scheme. Something that I'm not a fan of.

But really, why you guys visit the site, laugh with it and crap, ask for a link exchange from DJ? Your bubblegum blogs who have made it to the listing (thanks!) should be ashamed cos you know that somebody else deserved it better.

She was happy for me. Thanks Angie.

I just hit the number 400 on my blog. Pretty amazing feat huh? Well it should be, considering how many posts I have made the past 3 years.

In a couple of days, The Comfort Rooms will be 2 years old, having been created on a lazy early morning one August 9 in 2007.

I didn't know what to write then. Until now actually. Self-proclaimed experts in blogging (according to groups and award-giving bodies)warn us bloggers not to write randomly. What the heck? As far as I'm concerned, I'm gonna write what I wanted to write about. I don't write for gimmickry. I write cos I express.

I've met a lot of people thru blogging. Made friends and made (quite a few) enemies as well. Too bad, I am fluorishing further compared to them. All of us bloggers are like actors in front of our own stages. Some get fullhoused. Some get full-insected. Of course I want people to read my stuff. I know the reasons why I blog in the first place. And I'm still keen on that.

Hopefully, everyone will be as excited as Angie is for me.

Till next post.

"We'll have to let you go," was the one sentence my new boss uttered that kinda like turned my world around. How can one person lose 2 jobs in 2 weeks? First was a lay-off, second was me getting the axe from my boss.

I can't help it. They thought I wouldn't need any learning curve for my job. They thought marketing people know a whole lot about creating online video games. They thought I could figure everything out right away.

"I can only be effective only when our game is up so that I can start marketing," was one of things I told my boss when we had our conversation at around 5 o'clock in the afternoon last Friday.

My boss realized that he wasn't looking for a marketing guy but he was looking for a web developer. Marketing and Web Development are two darn opposite things. "You can hire the best marketing guys from McCann or Saatchi and Saatchi and they wouldn't have any idea how it would be to put up an online PC game," was another statement I gave him during our talk. They judged me for two days worth of work. And then the axe.

How to lose 2 jobs in 2 weeks? Follow my example.