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xPost: My Favorite Foreign Hits of 2011

Halberd — Sun, 15 Jan 2012 20:39:53 +0000

2011 is not a bad year for music because of the diversity of hits released this year, coming from different sources [The Music Industry, Underground, TV, Youtube (and the Internet in general) and even video games]. Sadly though, there aren’t a lot of standout artists and songs this year, making it easier for me to filter out my choices. Many sites are also proclaiming the death (it’s probably just hibernation [--,] ) of rock this year (but at least we’re fine, according to one site.)

Enough with depressing news. Here are my favorite tunez last year:

Bruno Mars – The Lazy Song
The last two years were a banner year for the half-Filipino singer and songwriter, making a lot of achievement for the typical metrics for success: A Grammy, #1 hits and album sales; he even sang the main theme for part 1 of the Breaking Dawn movie. And of all his hits, choosing this track is a no-brainer. For a white-collar worker like me, it’s a dangerous song to be listening to on a rest day. I can relate to the lyrics, and the original music video was also very entertaining despite its simplicity (it looks like most Youtube videos, and the chimps … uh, never mind; it really captures the Lazy aspect of the song). However, it also made some reference to another song, and it just so happens that the song was prolly the most annoying song this year: Teach Me How to Dougie.
The London Philharmonic Orchestra – Angry Birds: Main Theme
2011 was the year when Angry Birds really exploded. Available on nearly all smart devices and even on the Web and Facebook, the game is nearly as universally recognizable as Mario. I was also skeptical about the game at the beginning of 2011, but I played it one night on my PC and instantly got hooked. And to attest to the gigantic success of this game, the main theme was included in the playlist for the Video Game Heroes concert last September 1. The orchestral arrangement is simply stunning, and it’s easily the best performance in the concert. Later, I checked the album and unfortunately, I was disappointed because even though all decades were covered and there are other excellent picks (namely, The Ocean on His Shoulders and Gusty Garden Galaxy), I found the other tracks to be very literal.
Bad Meets Evil – Lighters
I only chose this due to the non-rap part (which was also contributed by Bruno Mars, BTW. He also did the song parts in Nothin’ On You, another one of my favorites). To be honest, it’s a very annoying trend. The rap parts were nothing more but fillers, and is generally unnecessary. Still, there are some of these kinds with excellent songs for the past few years, like Airplanes and Pyramid (Ft. Iyaz).
Adele – Rolling In The Deep
The song (and, oh well, Adele) deserved all the acclaim she got this year, but I actually chose this song for another reason. The song was perfectly made, and Adele sang it flawlessly, but it’s another thing when it’s interpreted by another artist and actually top it. Every once in a while, I come across more than a dozen versions for a song, just like in 2005 (Crazy for You) and 2007 (Umbrella). In 2011, it’s RITD and we’re lucky that there is, not one, but two, excellent covers of the song. The first one was made by Linkin Park. And the second? It’s the Glee Cast version.
Katy Perry – Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.)
For all the flak that Pop Music receives every microsecond, I still need to pick maybe one or two hits from the POP Machine, referring to artists (usually a female with a killer figure, usually artificially sculpted as well) who can churn out an album every 6 months and have no difficulties posting a hit on the charts due to a very dedicated and huge fanbase, with their songs having a heavy reliance on Autotune (considered as the PhotoShop of music. I actually have nothing against it, for me it’s just another instrument or tool, just like guitars, microphone and the human voice). Anyway, this year is an easy one. After two albums, Lady Gaga run out of gimmicks and ended up with a mediocre album. And after listening too long, Taylor Swift‘s latest songs sounded recycled. Hold It Against Me was actually good because it’s a deviation from her previous hits, I almost ended up choosing California King Bed because it’s mellow rather than upbeat, and it’s already tiresome and irritating to listen to Beyoncé crooning about female empowerment. So why this? It was supposed to be Firework, but I changed my mind the last minute, and it’s only because it’s refreshing to listen to after five days of work.

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Chronicles of Work (3/3)

Halberd — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 13:06:22 +0000

Click here for Part 1 and Part 2.

November 7, 2009

I missed my first day of work, the most crucial date in my employment.

While it’s just an orientation, the gravity of the offense still weighed heavily in my mind. To make up for this, I decided to attend the next orientation, which occurred a week later.

I didn’t knew that an announcement was made near the end of the last day in our language training. Our grades were provided early on, and having confirmed that I passed, I was dismissed and were allowed to go home. I didn’t linger long, even though there’s talks of bonding session with the other trainees, which I was intentionally avoiding because I’m positive that it’s just an inuman session.

Apparently, the announcement was made about 30 minutes before the end of the shift (3pm). I was long gone by then. The next day, being not present, most of my co-trainees thought I didn’t get thru.

Employment officially starts with yet another class, where we’re thought about the product and the tools of the trade, and a general walkthrough of the daily grind on the floor. Training ends with a practical exam testing our knowledge of the product and mastery of the tool.

The class was generally uneventful.

* * *

My first schedule was 1am, and surprisingly, I have no difficulty making an adjustment. Still, being addicted to sleep, I still need to gulp cups of coffee to remain energetic on the floor.

* * *

Now, about that piece of good news saying that you can finish calls without talking to the customer, there’s still a bit of bad news attached to it. It only applies to 20% of calls, or only one for every five calls. And regarding the product, we’re also informed that only 10% were tackled. The learning process continues on the floor. Makes sense.

I learned it the hard way on my first call. Sadly, the customer’s issue is not yet included in the tool, which means that I need to talk directly to the caller, and I got dizzy for a moment while trying to initiate a conversation to the person on the other end. In an effort to make an impression, I decided not to call my superiors for help and tried resolving the problem on my own. Sadly, I ended up arguing with the caller for 15 minutes and it eventually ended in a supcall. Bad way to start a new career.

* * *

Two weeks later, I was coached for a call and was given an opportunity to listen to it. The good news is that I sounded fine, with none of the pitch problems I normally have. And for the record, I haven’t heard of anyone complaining about me having heavy accents or bad grammar, a common problem for beginners on the floor.

* * *

I honestly don’t remember what I did with my first salary. I think I used some during my birthday, but generally speaking, I didn’t spend it.

* * *

December 2009

One month on the floor, I received my first user feedback, and it’s an excellent score. Apparently, it wasn’t just your supervisors and QA’s who can now grade you, the callers themselves can give you one also. For every phone call received, if there’s an email address on file, a survey will be sent out to it, allowing the caller to grade the agent. Eventually, I received several more, all good, no poor scores of 1 (poor) – 5 (average), which is all that mattered anyway. And considering that obtaining surveys during those days were much harder.

* * *

January 2010

As per business requirements, my account began gradually reducing agents on the floor around this month on a weekly basis. I said I ‘m ready, considering that there are other accounts available, particularly one which is a tech account, something I’ve been yearning for. But weeks came and went, most of my friends were gone, but I’m still here. I usually meet them outside, and when I’m asked what’s my account, I merely replied, “I’m still here in my old account,” with just a tiny hint of envy.

By the middle of March, we’re down to about a hundred. That’s still a huge number. And then it all just happened, we were just singled out. But it’s too late. Sadly, the account where I want to enlist to no longer accepts additional reps.

* * *

April 2010

It took me a month to get into another account, I was in limbo prior to that. It’s quite ironic that those who left earlier were now my superiors, and these has gotten into their heads. I was utterly pissed and deliberately underperformed. So it’s not surprising that when the first wave of dropouts were listed a month later, it’s not surprising that I was included.

* * *

May 2010

I fought hard for regularization, and was lucky enough to acquire the papers two weeks before being kicked out of the account. I got a raise also.

I had 30 days to look for another account. I tried several and failed all of them.

And then, I’ve heard the news from the grapevine. My first account is in need of additional reps and the number of agents on the floor can’t accommodate the calls received on the line. I can only be grateful for this. I’m still holding a grudge, but it’s a bad time to be very choosy. I needed work badly, and having just been regularized, I don’t want it all to go to nothing.

Returning to the floor felt like coming back home. Maybe this is really the right account for me. I didn’t have any issues from this point forward.

Puzzle: Compounds

Halberd — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 03:47:00 +0000

Direction: The objective of this puzzle is to distribute 20 root words in the following diagram to form 31 compound words. Words must be placed in such a way that two neighboring boxes form a compound word following the direction of the arrow, where the box that points is the first half, and the box being pointed to is the second.

ABLE	BOAT	BREAK	CAST	CROSS
DOWN	FALL	FIRE	FLAT	FOOT
FORE	MAN	MOST	NEWS	OUT
PRINT	SAIL	TOP	WATER	WORKS

PDF copy

Solution

Puzzle: Brain Maze #1

Halberd — Sun, 13 Nov 2011 07:14:00 +0000

A few weeks ago, I came across a site called Maze a Day, which, as suggested by the blog title, posts mazes on a daily basis. (I wish I could have the same level of dedication). The site is great, the mazes were beautifully designed and extremely challenging. It’s great to see fellow puzzlers showing their works on the Web, and having made quite a handful, I’ve decided to publish my works as well. So far, I’ve posted a few, and has encoded nearly half of my works and digitizing them is now a WIP.

Here’s a sampler of a maze I made. Click the picture for the actual size, then just right-click and then click “Save picture…” to save a copy to your computer.

A PDF copy is also available for download. You can also try other puzzles.

Chronicles of Work (2/3)

Halberd — Mon, 07 Nov 2011 02:55:00 +0000

Today marks my second year of employment in Sutherland Global, and I can safely say that my position is already pretty stable, after struggling in the job for the first six months. I survived, and I’ve got everything to be very thankful for.

Click here for the prequel.

It’s been a week after the examination and I have yet to receive feedback. Days came and went, and then on Friday the week after, I unmistakably recognized an applicant as I’m walking toward MetroTown Mall (I’ve been going in and out of this mall during this period, and I don’t remember anymore the exact reason) and that’s when I thought I heard the bad news. Apparently, they already had their training since Monday.

* * *

Then, two days later, on a Sunday, I received the call to report for the training on Tuesday (Oct 20). The hard part isn’t over. In fact, it’s only just beginning.

The language training proved to be the hardest stage in my application. I do have a good grasp of the English language, and I’m also familiar with American culture. It’s my voice quality that I worry about, and I shivered at the things I need to develop during the training: pitch, intonation, volume and accent.

I took a bit of inspiration from my college days, at the time when I’m already doing badly and I took up Communication III (Speech Communication), a subject I’ve been intentionally avoiding until I run out of available subjects to take. I practically begged my way into the class (it’s a common practice in UP if you’re having problem getting slots for a subject to report to class directly and ask for a class card directly from the prof to get enrolled) and even though I was two weeks behind, I persisted and worked hard to quell my fear of speaking in front of an audience. In the end, I got a 2.5, the lowest grade that was given (actually, one student flunked the subject). Still, it’s one of the most memorable classes I took, because during the end of the semester, we received feedback on our performance in the class, written in the outline for my final speech. My teacher is aware of my speech defect, and I was praised for my persistence and extra effort to work it out and also for actively participating in the class. Reading the handwritten remarks on the piece of paper brought tears to my eyes, because passing the subject was one of the few things I’ve gotten right during those times.

* * *

Brains!

Halberd — Mon, 31 Oct 2011 03:07:00 +0000

For the record, working at my company is not at all dull. Every once in a while, the floor is abuzz with fun activities to liven up the workplace. And it just so happens that Halloween is near, so what’s more appropriate than dressing up as creatures of the night and transform the floor into a gruesome setting.

This year, I took the costume contest with a bit of a challenge, because it must reflect a part of me and come up with something that’s extraordinary and adhering to the geek code, seeing just how tiresome it is to be seeing Edward Cullen’s, Jacob Black’s, Grim Reapers, Mike Myers (or any of his clones), Minerva McGonagall’s, Lord Voldemort’s and dead rape victims.

Note:

Filipinos don’t celebrate Halloween. Instead, we celebrate All Saints Day the day after Halloween (Nov-1), as a day when we remember our departed loved ones. This one continues until the next day (Nov-2), which we name as All Souls Day. On this day, we go to the cemetery and light candles in the grave.

Two days to go and I have yet to come up with an idea, much less start working on what I’m going to wear. Ironically, I got the idea after seeing a broomstick, which I somehow envisioned as a flag. I found the perfect creature.

Making the costume was easy enough. I just need a tattered coat and jeans (and if I can’t obtain one, I can just make one) and a red tie. The mask is the problem. Having no time to scourge the malls, I ended up improvising the mask by printing it. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to acquire a red tie (or a tie of any other color for that matter). Even though the gathered materials aren’t too similar to the character model, I was satisfied with the end result.

* * *

Zombies had come a long way in gaming. They are now the most preferred expendable units in action/combat games, beating insurgents, aliens, mutants and mythical creatures. Undeads are readily more available, they are tougher to kill and they do have a unique advantage because our loss is their gain. And what they lack in intelligence, they make it up in terms of sheer quantity. However, as it turns out, they actually have different attributes in history:

Zombies were originally the first beneficiary of the Belmont’s whip. They are depicted as slim creatures wearing a white tattered & flowing robe, randomly appearing on the floor. This means you need to be alert because you’ll never know where the next one will appear.
In Final Fantasy games, zombies were originally minions of the Earth Fiend. These unique creatures are partly immune to physical attacks and even spells (partially, because you still can dish out a damage of 1 for every attack made, heh). Want to know how to eliminate them with minimal moves? Use curative and healing spells, or throw Potions.
The modern definition of the videogame zombie was introduced in the first true console horror game: Resident Evil, which was introduced in 1996 and therefore has its 15^th anniversary this year. (Some argue however that it was Zombies Ate My Neighbors! who first delivered a scary experience. But who cares anyway? At least, the game deals with the same creatures, as the title suggests.) The zombie outbreak was the result of the escape of a virus being experimented by the evil Umbrella Corporation.
Zombies, which were also renamed as Undeads, Damned or Cursed in the Diablo games, were usually dead creatures who were raised through magic or sorcery.

Fast forward to 2009, Popcap Games, makers of extremely popular casual games such as Bejeweled, Peggle and Insaniquarium, had suddenly came up with an incredibly deep tower defense game featuring an ensemble of cartoonized and slightly intelligent zombies. That game was Plants vs. Zombies.

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Steve Jobs, 1955–2011

Halberd — Thu, 06 Oct 2011 15:27:00 +0000

It must be something when my first reaction during the day as soon as I woke up today is shock, because the most recent tweet I saw in my Twitter gadget was the unexpected passing of Steve Jobs, former CEO and co-founder of the largest tech company in the world today. While I’m not exactly a fan of his creations, I do acknowledge his contributions to tech, and his role in shaping the field by making innovative products that set the standards against which everything else will be compared.

His inventions easily and almost single-handedly defined Apple as a company. All of these devices were built on solid hardware, and I think this is Apple’s definitive edge over its rivals: Microsoft, which is primarily a software company, or Google, THE Web company. Heck, Apple devices managed to challenge other hardware companies as well in other fields, such as Nintendo and its handheld game console.

In celebration of his works, let me share my thoughts about the greatest devices that he created:

Macintosh computers

Apple is originally defined by its signature computer called Mac’s, and it represented the company’s original stance with its products. Everything about the early Mac’s is nonconformist: it’s not built on x86 architecture, it puts too much effort looking fashionable and stylish (heck, Apple used to be synonymous with white because of the glossy white finish of their devices), and it doesn’t run on Windows. The Mac vs PC debate may continue indefinitely, but to be honest, it’s already pointless at this point, so the best thing everyone can do is use whatever works best for us.
iPod

At one point, I am already disgusted with portable media players because devices are getting more and more clunkier. The original Walkman is still svelte, but at the turn of the century when portable cassette and CD players are all the rage, I wonder what the future holds for PMP’s.

iPods solved the problem by introducing a device with flash-based storage and lack of moveable parts, resulting in a device with compact design. The device is stunning in its simplicity, it’s not cluttered with buttons, and the controls are absolutely intuitive. Also, flash storage allows for big storage capacity, making it possible to store massive amount of music. Another strength of the device is its excellent music management. iPods prolly were the earliest devices synced to computers, and, with the aid of iTunes, makes it easy to add, remove and manage the contents of the device.

The iPod was Apple’s breakthrough device, and despite being challenged by other PMP’s that offered more features, it remained the top device, so much that in fact, it was ultimately neutralized by Apple’s own product.

Moving forward, the iPod evolved by getting colored screens, video support and finally, a touch screen, absorbing the features of its phone cousin, which is the…
iPhone

In 2006, the tech world is buzzing about Apple’s new device which was predicted to be a phone. Apple is also known for its ability to keep secrets well-hidden, and the Net cannot do anything but speculate about the specifications of the device. I still remember participating in discussions, for which I would always jokingly remark, “It’s an iPhone. Duh. That’s the only sure thing we know.” I never expected that it will become only one of two accurate tech predictions I had made so far LOLx (the other one being the Wii becoming the top console of its generation.)

The phone featured flawless hardware, with perfect touch-responsiveness and, borrowing from the iPod design, just a few buttons. It also introduced the multi-touch control.

On top of it is a custom OS of desktop caliber. Even though the iPhone is not the first to put emphasis on operating systems (PalmOS, Symbian and Windows Mobile is already available in other phones, and has features also found in iOS, such as app support, device customization and desktop-quality web browsing), the phone pioneered the finger-friendly UI with its use of large screen elements, and the best web browsing experience on a mobile device, with its Webkit-based Safari browser.

Another innovation of the device is the App Store, which made it easier to acquire and search for new apps, at extremely affordable prices (some apps can only be purchased for 99¢).

Another major feature of the device is the ease of updating the OS.

The iPhone practically steamrolled the competition, but was ultimately displaced by Android as the most popular phone OS. However, for every upcoming devices, the newest iPhone is always the preferred device.
iPad

Fueled by the success of the iPhone, Apple came up with another device a few years later, reinventing the tablet PC. Tablets were not new, Microsoft designed the Courier a few years ago, and the device were actually known by other names then, such as ultra-mobile PC (UMPC).

The iPad was marketed as an iPhone with a larger screen, and at present, is the leading tablet, but only because of lack of competition, mostly coming from Xooms and Galaxy Tabs. Windows 8, Microsoft’s tablet-centric OS, is still in development and is yet to be included in any device.

The combined success of the iDevices propelled Apple to the top of the tech industry. But for the rest of us, we’re just glad that we have such beautifully crafted devices that we can use. And it’s saddening, because we can no longer look forward to seeing more of these.

RIP Steve Jobs. We will miss you greatly. Thanks for everything.

Two Typhoons

Halberd — Mon, 03 Oct 2011 07:24:55 +0000

During the last week of September, Northern Luzon was hit with a double whammy of typhoons that hit the region. Last September 27, typhoon Pedring (international name: Nesat) made landfall, and stayed in the country for about 3 days. Then, after a day of continuous sunshine, Quiel (international name: Nalgae) followed suit. Ironically, the typhoons hit exactly two years after Ondoy (international name: Ketsana) wreaked havoc in the country, making a record for one of the most destructive typhoons of all time.

So far, 15 major storms and typhoons had visited the country, each one causing substantial damage to affected areas. But it seems that we have already learned our lesson, and we took excellent measures to minimize the damage caused by these natural calamities, in spite of the fact that there’s no stopping the powerful forces of nature.

Pedring was shaping up to be a powerful typhoon, almost approaching Ondoy in terms of intensity. The most unique property of the typhoon is its extremely huge size, reaching 650-km in its maximum diameter, nearly covering the whole nation. I still have work the day the storm hit, and it’s a heavy ordeal on my way to work, not only because of the storm, but because Ninoy Aquino Bridge was closed for renovation, so there’s no direct route to the workplace. Thank God for the company shuttle.

The typhoon passed without any major damage in Tarlac, thankfully.

However, I didn’t expect that Quiel, the next typhoon, would be more damaging, even though it’s weaker than Pedring. Sunshine came back last Friday (Sept 30). I was still monitoring the almost horizontal path of the typhoon, but I never expected the typhoon to hit Northern Luzon suddenly, as if out of nowhere, around afternoon on October 1 (Saturday), with its eye near Baguio City, Benguet.

It resulted in severe flooding in Sta. Ignacia, my hometown; something that never occurred for a very long time, since SI has an average elevation of 52-m above sea level and is really a mountainous area. Water level is knee-deep in the town capital, and managed to be chest-deep in San Vicente, the barangay immediately north of the capital, as well as in Baldios, a barangay to the south.

Camiling, the neighboring town, was less fortunate. 90% of the town was submerged, and this isn’t the first time this year that this one occurred. The town also experienced severe flooding around the last week of June, when the typhoon Falcon hit.

* * *

it’s really bewildering that typhoons are getting more and more stronger. And what happened last week is caused not only by the strong wind speed, but by another factor: volume of rain.

Raindrop fell in buckets, and fell unwavering for five continuous hours. Even our house is flooded, though only by a few inches, thankfully.

It is similar to what happened when Ondoy hit MM, reaching 10.18” in precipitation, the equivalent of one month worth of rain.

Times are changing, and it can only get worse.

xPost: Quiz: Song Names

Halberd — Thu, 29 Sep 2011 14:50:47 +0000

View original post here.

[Taken from this forum.]

Using only SONG NAMES from ONE ARTIST, cleverly answer these questions (Wikipedia is your friend). Try not to repeat a song title. It’s a lot harder than you think.

Artist: Linkin Park

Are you male or female: Robot Boy [A Thousand Suns]
Describe yourself: By Myself [Hybrid Theory]
How do you feel: In Pieces [Minutes to Midnight]
Describe where you currently live: Somewhere I Belong [Meteora]
If you could go anywhere, where would you go: A Place for My Head [Hybrid Theory]
Your favorite form of transportation: Crawling [Hybrid Theory]
Your best friends are: Wretches and Kings [A Thousand Suns]
You and your best friend is: One Step Closer [Hybrid Theory]
What’s the weather like: Burning in the Skies [A Thousand Suns]
If your life was a television show what would it be called: My December [single]
What’s life to you: What I’ve Done [Minutes to Midnight]
Your fear: Fallout [A Thousand Suns]
What is the best advice you have to give: Leave Out All The Rest [Twilight OST] or Don’t Stay [Meteora]
Thought for the Day: The Little Things Give You Away [Minutes to Midnight]
How I would like to die: Hit the Floor or maybe Lying From You [Meteora]
My soul’s present condition: No More Sorrow [Minutes to Midnight]
My motto: Easier to Run [Meteora]

Factoids: The ABC of Computing

Halberd — Mon, 26 Sep 2011 07:20:00 +0000

And now for my next puzzle, I’ll make it short & simple.

Let’s see how technologically inclined you are. How many of these letter icons can you identify? It could be a computer program, website, service, platform, and even video game consoles and cellphones.

Notes:

I got the idea for this puzzle from a funny incident. My Mom is an avid user of F (which if you can’t figure out, means that you have no right to answer this puzzle. LOL), and before, when she asks me how to open it, I just tell her to press the blue ‘e’ icon. Now, v.9 of the program allows sites to be pinned to the taskbar, and so I just tell her to click that letter. It didn’t end there, though. The icon for another web browser, whose default icon is something that resembles a Pokéball, can be changed into the icon of the company who made the browser. It’s interesting to see all three letters sitting right next to each other, and it was also saddening, because O, my fave browser, is a long way from them. LOL
W is the easiest icon to find, because several high-profile programs use a W icon, including Microsoft Word, Wikipedia and World of Warcraft. I also considered several programs for C, including Ccleaner and Comodo Firewall, but chose this one because it scores high in terms of geek factor.
Z originally stood for Zuma, but I just remembered this logo and instantly changed it because it got to be one of coolest logo I’ve seen.
The same cannot be said of A, however. I actually prefer Adobe Reader, but this one is more recognizable.
I was actually torn between X and the Xbox 360^o logo, but in the end chose this because PC gaming > Console gaming.
Speaking of which, it’s interesting to note that I had some difficulty searching for I, despite a certain company’s obsession with the letter.
Of the letters, searching for D, J and U proved to be the hardest. I originally used the Sega Dreamcast logo for D, but pulled it up the last minute because I think it doesn’t resemble the letter at all.
I gave up on U, so I cheated and used this icon, instead, because it starts with the letter anyway (it’s not, and I’ll tell you why). The letter you see here is mu, the lowercase Greek equivalent of the letter M. Even the first letter in the program isn’t read /u/, or even /mu/ (read as Mew, like the Pokémon), it’s read as micro, just like in SI system of measurement, denoting an exponent of 10^-9, denoting the light-weightedness of the program.