The latest from Полнотекстовые фиды для блогофермеров
- 1-877-362-2803 is a Scam. Is Acxiom Corporation-Delivery.Net a Criminal Enterprise?
- DZMM live streaming
- one of those feelings
- The Defining Moment - The Battle for Your Future
- Parliament Hill // "Fevers and Frontiers"
- Hinoi Team - Ike Ike
- Helping all typhoon Ondoy victims by any means we can.
- Prayers, donations and help for all the victims of Ondoy...
- Free Speech for the Corporatocracy
- "Seasons of Love" // RENT (shut up; it's how I feel atm)
- Incubus // "Nebula"
- Radiohead // "Down Is The New Up"
- Tulog Na- Sugarfree Live! with Manila Symphony Orchestra
- Foreclosures, ARM's, and the BIG Mistake
| 1-877-362-2803 is a Scam. Is Acxiom Corporation-Delivery.Net a Criminal Enterprise? | Top |
| On Sunday afternoon, I received the following alert: "sms bank ing@t-mobile.delivery.net: Message from [Name of my bank ]. Not a sales message. Call us at 1-877-363-2803 immediately about your recent account activity. Thank you." I was startled, but knew not to call. I have never signed on for mobile bank ing. How would they have obtained my phone number? Instead, I Googled the phone number. There were no hits for that number - and certainly no permutation of that phone number was associated with my bank . I then thought about the nature of the ISP. t-mobile.com is a subdomain of delivery.net. I thus Googled "delivery.net." It's a spam website, owned by the Acxiom Corporation. (Acxiom Corporation 601 E. 3rd St. Little Rock, AR 72201 US.) UPDATE : I Googled the text of the message, omitting my bank . I found this: I just got sms bank ing@t-mobile.delivery.net / Message from First Hawaiian bank . Not a sales message. Call us at 1-877-362-2803 immediately about recent account activity. Thank you." My bank is not First Hawaiian, and thus this text message is certainly a scam. Still, questions remain. Is T-Mobile committing fraud? Is Acxiom Corporation a criminal enterprise? All of these corporations will no doubt claim to have been hacked. Victims. I am suspicious. Perhaps T-Mobile or Acxiom Corporation sold my personal information? Why can't they build infrastructure to prevent fraud? Will the Department of Justice investigate? When Goldman Sachs calls, DOJ answers the phone. They arrest innocent people in under 48 hours. Will DOJ protect the average American from fraud? Or is fake-fraud against Goldman Sachs a higher priority than real fraud against average Americans? Source | |
| DZMM live streaming | Top |
| First and foremost, I am still in the office, unbathed for two days in my clothes I had worn Friday night and quite hungry since I don't have much money left (pamasahe lang). But I am very grateful that despite my situation, I am safe and so are my family. I am still luckier compared to many people, many of them are acquaintances and friends. I still have no news with many of them, since I know they are conserving their load and cellphone power for more dire purposes. I can only pray that they are all right. Hopefully, the weather would allow me to finally make it home today. I had been constantly on PLURK and Facebook for the past two days, both happy and worried to see people updating us about their status. A co-worker helped me to find AM news through DZMM Live Streaming . greyrook_22 also kept tabs of many up_ame people through her EPIC Ondoy post and Bry Bibat make AME Roll Call wiki to update worried friends, especially those who were affected by the floods. Thanks to sooooo many people that kept me updated on what's happening, especially Chelli and Chenn who live a couple blocks away from my house. Though I live in Marikina, we were not flooded (thank God!) but the way I can reach home were horribly so. There are also no communication with phone lines due to massive flooding (even in my area, some parts were also flooded) so I couldn't reach our house. I felt utterly helpless because I so wanted to go home and I don't even know where my family was-- my sister went to school in FEU. I have no idea where my brother was so I assumed my mother was all alone. My brother was with her all the time, thank God! The night I was about to go to work, rain was lashing its fury. I was not even aware there was a typhoon but I was not able to sleep. To make matters worse, we had no umbrella available. I had to wake my mother to help me get a tricycle to go home. I made it to work but I got late due to the delay. Visibility was already low by 2am. I passed by Marikina River bank s going to Libis and was not surprised to see the water levels going up, 1/4 of the foundations were visible. I do not know if I possessed an eerie foresight but I told the taxi that ferried me to work that I see River bank s overflowing. Little did I know that this would be the first of the worst incidents I had witnessed all my life here in Marikina. The whole morning, the rain pounded its fury with no signs of stopping. I decided to sneak a peek on the news and weather to check what are the status of everyone. The skies were uniformly gray and we didn't even know that it was already morning. When I finally made it to see what was happening, I heard that the Marikina River already overflowed. Many of my co-workers-- Tamiks, Erish, Coach Gary, Mai and myself are from Marikina. Coach Gary decided to go home early so he can get to his house early. I met up with _ligaya_ after shift because she invited me to go with her to teeth_for_eyes and _ligaya_ and I couldn't reach our landline. The Katipunan-Aurora interchange was filled with cars, trucks and soldiers to do rescue. I later saw Bade (daughter of Tita Vangie) there and she persuaded to go back to our offices through LRT/MRT Thankfully, those services haven't conked out, too. Later, I learned their services run for 24-hours I reached Araneta-Cubao and saw PGMA doing an ocular inspection at the stations. Good to see that you are working, Madam after making off 800M in your travels that were meant for times like this . >_> I got some pics of her. I went back to office, bedraggled and felt like a useless drowned kitten. Had done RD OT for 3 hours (di ko kinaya, wala pa akong tulog...orz). I kept the vigil of updates and at the same time assuring my dad who was also mad with worry because he cannot reach my mom. Thank God I went back to office. The next morning, Marikina is still flooded and spent most of the time scouring for news. Thankfully, I have friends who were constantly updating me and the news really, really helped. Coach Sophie, Ron, Flerida and Nico were here with me, with JD. We kept vigil the whole day. I was ready to go home because the sun was shining but I was asked to stay put because waters are still high even it subsided a bit. I was forced again to stay for the night. So as you can see, I am still here to tell my tale. The Ondoy tumblr made me see how far the devastation of the typhoon went all over. At the same time, it gave us light-hearted and inspiring moments on how people cared and did heroic efforts to help those in need. There were also a number of WTF moments and updates which made me realize disasters and emergencies show the best and worst of us. I rather NDCC updates for all to see and had been updated constantly. However, there are no official list on the names of the dead and missing except for the list HERE . Latest I've heard so far: 86 are dead and many more unaccounted missing. I think that's just in Provident Village. Hopefully, more information this coming days. So far, there are a lot of conflicts. I hope the government and politicians stop the political bullshit. I had to admire Kris even many got annoyed with her. She is doing something! What I am especially worried right now are the two threats of storms coming within 2-3 days . God help the Philippines. But in all fairness, He had been very good to many of us. Let's just keep praying. Although I have to say I experienced Milenyo and Rosing but this one takes the cake. Wala pang nagpalubog sa Marikina except Ondoy!!! Ayoko na maulit! I will be going home in a few minutes so ther may not be updates from me since we don't have landline, internet. You can contact me at my cellphone number. Since it's pay day, I will buy some supplies and load. Thanks so much to the following people: _ligaya_ , mithlin_megil , dyoklako , teeth_for_eyes , greyrook_22 (for the lulz and those compiled info!), raccoondog , retsu , Chelli and Chen, Jayson, Jo Ann, Ate Dey, Coach Jude, Coach Sophie, Ron, JD, up_ame , UP ABM, Tita Fides, JK, Sofi, Rich, Demi, Bry, Pi-chan, luckychan , Tere, my sister Penny, Mama, Papa, my brother James and his girlfriend Elaine, jactinglim (even you and ericvids are in Singapore), Meme, ushuaia , and so many other people known and unknown. For those I haven't seen update or contacted yet, please stay safe! It started to rain so I better leave. Will see you soon. I might not go to work (had enough of the office na rin) but will keep in touch. Guys! Please try to help with the relief operations! Andaming pwede puntahan. I also am helping out in RO2 with _ligaya_ and if you have any donations in cash or kind, please deposite them at BPI account under bank Account: BPI Savings 3106-4084-62 Ma. Jocelyn Bordador More info here: http://burymeinthisdress.com/blog/2009/0 9/where-to-send-donations-for-victims-of -typhoon-ondoy/ Source | |
| one of those feelings | Top |
| do you ever get the feeling that there's so much going on in your collective world, that it tends to feel a little bit overwhelming? sounds cliche, but it's kind of the atmosphere i'm feeling as of late. a lot of changes going on all around me, and i don't quite know how to feel about it. a little unnerved, mostly, because i like it when things are settled down and nice and steady. friends getting married, friends moving away. new additions to the family, while others members of my family are reaching out for assistance. i've been off the working wagon for so long that getting back into it has been a little shaky, mentally for me. i'm freelancing for yet another company right now, and i don't quite know what to think of it yet, and i don't think that's a good thing, thus far. my weekends are booked, and not enough money is coming in (yet) to compensate for my depleting bank accounts. i'm beginning to think i'm traveling far too much for my own good right now, and honestly, i don't want to think about any airplanes once november rolls around. a lot of this preemptive anxiety is certainly money-related, but now that the freelance branch is baring fruits again, it should help, but i guess i was expecting more gigs than i had been getting for the last few weeks, and my constant travels haven't exactly helped the cause on several fronts. i'm by no means upset at the world or mad at anyone or anything for the temperamental way life has been sloshing back and forth, but i am feeling slightly on edge, and look forward to when things simmer down to a less difficult to manage pace. Source | |
| The Defining Moment - The Battle for Your Future | Top |
| CLICK HERE to hear the show! MP3 File Len Renier has been repeatedly invited to speak before the Federal Reserve of Chicago. He is the author of 3 best-selling books on the future of financial planning in America, and the perils we will face in the next 3000 days with increasing tax rates and volatility. We are honored to have Len calling in to today's show. You will be amazed at his ability to make complex economic factors seem quite simple. He'll never tell you what to think - only HOW to think! Now CLICK HERE to listen! MP3 File Source | |
| Parliament Hill // "Fevers and Frontiers" | Top |
| NYAF isn't the most exciting convention in the universe, and if it weren't for the presence of Yoshiyuki Tomino, I probably wouldn't have bothered going back. Alas, with the creator of Gundam there, I don't think I could have lived with myself if I let it slip by, so I went. The con itself isn't really much more than a giant dealers' room, but at least I got to see a whole lot of people, which made it all worthwhile. Had dinner with Sharon, DC and Koyasunomiko on Friday, and it was super cool meeting Joanne as well. And running into cosplay friends from other cons! Of course, all the Gundam geeking out didn't hurt!! I attended both of Tomino-san's panels and nerdily landed myself front row seats for each. I even got to ask Tomino a question at the end of his keynote presentation, which nearly made me explode!! (For the record, I asked what he thought about the importance of character, since he had stressed the importance of story very much in his talk. He replied by saying that character was a very complex thing.) Of course, there was also an autograph session, but to get a ticket, you had to be there about four hours before the convention started for the day. Much as I was loathe to get up, it was totally worth it in the end to do it, and now I'm wondering how much my Gundam Character Encyclopedia is worth now, lol. Of course, because Tomino would only sign official items from Gundams he had actually worked on, I was glad I decided to bring that book, since he probably wouldn't have signed my sketchbook. I got a very sincere nod of approval from the guy screening the things people were bringing in for autographs, which couldn't be said for the people standing around me. (Honestly, trying to get a Gundam Wing tape signed by Tomino is no different than bringing in something from... Ranma 1/2 for him to sign, you know?) Tomino himself was even impressed by my encyclopedia: hesaid that not even he had it at home, and then proceeded to flip through it. That shit is NEVER coming out of the plastic again. I was pretty good as far as buying stuff went, and I didn't break the bank . Picked up a cool artbook in the artists alley and a fucking epic Char Aznable statue in the dealers' room. (He lives next to the Evangelion DVDs now, lol.) Was a little sad that they haven't released You Are (Not) Alone on DVD yet and that I missed the screening of it at the con, but at least it's something I've seen before. I was also excited that Sharon gave me the Heero and Duo chibis that are part of the Gundam 30th Anniversary set! Now if only I could finish this commission for her: Trowa is being very stubborn. (I might go for Round 5 on this one. No, I'm not an insane and obsessive perfectionist... *coughcough*) [here are the rest of my photos] Also, I thought I'd mention that I'm working on fic and art, albeit a bit slowly at the moment. I'm still really busy with moving in, getting settled and trying to find a job. *sigh* At least I have things to do with my time, but just know I haven't forgotten you guys!! I might post what I've written so far of my next chapter just to tide you over, because I feel sort of guilty for the wait XDD Source | |
| Hinoi Team - Ike Ike | Top |
| My eyebrows are things of fucking beauty (thank you, Laura!). XD The original plan was to run around in ichiP! clothes all day, but it was raining, and I didn't want to get to the con in wet clothes and have no change. I decided that since the weather was being English, so too, must I be. And drunk. I only wish I had the balls to travel as drunk!UK, but alas, I did not. Nor the time to throw my hair under the wig before I left home, which was the real reason. I took a walk around the Dealer's Room when I was done getting dressed, not really finding anything all that special, except for Kaylie (she was my Canada), who I greeted with a "Gooooood morning, son!" and then draped myself over her. "You're drunk, Mommy, aren't you?" "Just a little bit!" Found a few other cosplayers along the way, and in all honesty, just hung out until it was time for the photoshoot. My breakfast consisted of a scone and tea, or would have, had the cafe not run out of scones. I settled for a muffin. And scolded Canada when he started using frog-words like "façade" and "croissant." My drunk!UK was received very well, and more than a few people seemed impressed with how well I was able to keep character (to the point where they asked me if I were actually drunk!), and if I roleplayed Arthur. What, no! I should, they said. :O Yay, I'm good at a character! IDK I think I make a much better Seychelles, even if she was being a bit of a tattletale yesterday (I let her slide, she's just a little kid). Not that we weren't being ridiculous and playing around beforehand, but the proper shoot started at two. Here're some of the good ones: Chibitalia and Regulartalia Korea, Taiwan, and Hong Kong get into a slapfight with their long sleeves Al and his burger Group Shot : Italy, Austria, Norway, Lithuania, Denmark, Turkey, America, Egypt, Greece, Canada, Prussia, N. Korea, China, two Hong Kongs, South Korea, Taiwan, UK, Spain, Italy, Chibitalia, Hungary, Chibitalia, UK. Lucky twenty-four. :D Denmark (we have the same birthday!) Kumajiro Brothers ♥ China and Spain fighting over England Russia and Lithuania Austria and Hungary. D'awwww. Spain tries to take Florida back. America's not havin' it. (That reminds me to check the meme, actually.) ASIA ... and Prussia Turkey Forget Norway! This jacket is so pimp. I almost wanna do Rev War England now! Italy and Prussia Egypt Spain demonstrates the Knee Attack And then we started playing a game of Duck, Duck, Goose (or Potato, Potato, Tomato, as we called it). UK lost the race Spain finds himself between the Chibitalias Denmark fell over for, like, the fiftieth time Russia (formerly Prussia) tries to claim UK Six Flags (originated in Korea)! More flags, more fun! And Spain's Knee Attack one more time. With motion ! And then I had to go. I was very sad and didn't want to leave the shenanigans. Oh well, I had dansu. I plugged it. A few of the Hetalia group showed up, which was really nice of them. ^_^ The dance workshop went really well. We were in Daki outfits and taught Bacchikoi and the Keroro dance, and we were so impressed with the level of retention. These guys had both dances DOWN in the short hour we had, which was awesome. There's not much else to say. Kiera took a lot of pictures, Mario and Guillermo managed to catch the end bits of it (YAY!), my voice started giving out and I drank two hundred liters of water (according to Nicole. She forgot to say "milli" before "litres"). Got to hand out business cards this time. My blisters, by the way? Still there. X_X I would like to know if someone got any of it on tape? That'd be nice to have in our favorites. :::nod nod::: After that, we went to the Top Ten Video Games panel, one I'd seen before at I-Con. This time it was ten best and worst together, which was nice and interesting. After rating Tetris number one best and Final Fantasy VII number one worst, I (jokingly, of course) shouted out to ask if the dude running the panel was single. I mean, if that's not meant to be, I don't know what is! XD It's nice that the Javits Center staff takes their job very seriously and were kicking people out at EXACTLY five o'clock. It's not cool, though, when they yell at people for stopping to tie their shoes or put on their jackets. Seriously, that's fucking retarded. 9_9 And then we went home. On the train, I met someone who attended our panel. We chatted for a while about conventions in general, but soon ran out of other things to say. After he left, I rummaged through my bag to discover that I THINK I've lost my iPod, which makes me a bajillion kinds of upset (I really do hope it falls out of my shoe or something later). Not to mention fucking around with the computer all night and facing work in the morning. So much to do tomorrow! Work, the bank , cleaning, laundry, getting my glasses fixed, sleeping? AUGH! But NYAF this year was fun and cool and totally exceeded my expectations (and I didn't go to a SINGLE panel!). I'm pleased again. In the meantime, these lenses are itching my eyes, and I've got shit to do online still, so... later. Source | |
| Helping all typhoon Ondoy victims by any means we can. | Top |
| Thank you for clicking! You did the right thing, let's pray for our country. Help or donate by any means we can! How to help? Sa lahat mga kababayan naten, lalo na ang mga nasa ibang bansa, you can click on the barriosiete logo below or donate H ER E : ALSO Ways to donate to the Philippine National Red Cross http://www.redcross.org.ph/Site/PNRC/wtd.aspx Manuel L. Quezon's blog: How to help (original on Quezon.ph | Tumblr.com mirror link) Google Docs: Rescue InfoHub Central | Ondoy Places to Donate Google Maps: Ondoy situation map for Metro Manila, by KaninLamig ABS-CBN HOTLINE 416-36-41 SAGIP KAPAMILYA 413-2667 / 416-0387 No 13 Examiner Street, Quezon City, Look for Ms Girlie Aragon : Banco de Oro, Mother Ignacia branch Acct name: ABS-CBN Foundation Inc. Acct no.: 5630020111 Routing code for international cash donations BNORPHMM ABS-CBN Branch ABS-CBN Foundation US Office Toll-Free 1-800-527-2820 -source- "Typhoon victims in Philippines in dire need of food/clothng. Call the American Red Cross to help. 18004357669" - Demi Moore "My heart goes out to my friends in the Philippines http://edition.cnn.com/2009... " - Josh Groban "Philippine storm leaves 75 dead and missing http://bit.ly/kSzCx " - Alyssa Milano And lastly, Hoping and praying that everyone, everywhere, especially my friends in Rizal, Marikina, Pasig, Laguna and Cavite are ok... - Just Me *** Source | |
| Prayers, donations and help for all the victims of Ondoy... | Top |
| "Typhoon victims in Philippines in dire need of food/clothng. Call the American Red Cross to help. 18004357669" - Demi Moore "My heart goes out to my friends in the Philippines http://edition.cnn.com/2009... " - Josh Groban "Philippine storm leaves 75 dead and missing http://bit.ly/kSzCx " - Alyssa Milano Hoping and praying that everyone, especially my friends in Rizal, Marikina, Pasig, Laguna and Cavite are ok... How to help Ways to donate to the Philippine National Red Cross http://www.redcross.org.ph/Site/PNRC/wtd.aspx Manuel L. Quezon's blog: How to help (original on Quezon.ph | Tumblr.com mirror link) Google Docs: Rescue InfoHub Central | Ondoy Places to Donate Google Maps: Ondoy situation map for Metro Manila, by KaninLamig ABS-CBN HOTLINE 416-36-41 SAGIP KAPAMILYA 413-2667 / 416-0387 No 13 Examiner Street, Quezon City, Look for Ms Girlie Aragon : Banco de Oro, Mother Ignacia branch Acct name: ABS-CBN Foundation Inc. Acct no.: 5630020111 Routing code for international cash donations BNORPHMM ABS-CBN Branch ABS-CBN Foundation US Office Toll-Free 1-800-527-2820 -source- Sa mga kababayan naten na nasa ibang bansa, you can also donate H ER E : **** Source | |
| Free Speech for the Corporatocracy | Top |
| The answer to speech is more speech , libertarians will utter. So you're really going to outspend the GM Corporation? Goldman Sachs? If the Supreme Court gives corporations the same rights as people, then we can consider the latest bailouts a quasi -bailout, perhaps even the Diet Coke of bailouts. And why do corporations qua corporations even need free speech rights? I immediately wonder why corporations even need unlimited Freedom of Speech rights. They already have reasonable Freedom of Speech protections (First National of Boston v. Bellotti, 435 U.S. 765 (1978)). Further, everyone who works at a corporation and all the shareholders already have the highest level of Freedom of Speech rights protected by the Constitution. If we give corporations the same Freedom of Speech rights as humans, we are functionally giving extra powers of speech to corporate executives in the C-Suite. After watching how they ran our economy into a shitpit, should we allow this handful of business people to use their out-sized coffers to drown out the incredibly less financed individual citizens? Read the rest here. And keep uttering "more speech." You're right, and I'm wrong. Because we're all going to be able to outspend our corporate masters. Libertarianism only works when there is a separation of corporation and state. The bailouts proved that, far from a high and impregnable wall, the White House and Congress are pregnant with Goldman's octuplets! Corporate speech is truly hilarious. People can't sleep at night knowing that the Nike company can't lie to people about it's slave labor practices. How can we say we live in a "free" society when Nike can't lie to its customers in order to trick those customers into buying shoes made with slave labor!? Source | |
| "Seasons of Love" // RENT (shut up; it's how I feel atm) | Top |
| Title: The Forsaken Author: Link Worshiper Pairings: 1=2, maybe some others if I feel like it Rating: PG-13 Stuff: Fantasy AU, fluff, sap, language, adventure, WoW nerdiness Disclaimer: I own Gundam Wing action figures? Warcraft and its lore belongs to Blizzard Entertainment. Both things are being played with out of fangirl love. Thanks to danse and Natea for the once over. Despite the fact this is part of Natea's birthday present, I still needed her to fill me in on the Alliance history they don't teach us on Horde, so thanks for that also =P ++++ Part XI The Stonewrought Dam ++++ By the time the trio reached the edge of the wetlands and the safety of its tree-lined pathways, twilight had given way to inky darkness. Heero was starting to feel the weight of the day's march on his shoulders, but he knew there was no way that Trowa was going to sacrifice the cover of night for his benefit, so he settled for munching on a small loaf of bread instead as they lingered in the shadows, deliberating what to do next. Beyond the trees stood the enormous dam that held the loch back, controlling the flow of the water from the lake above with a series of regulated waterfalls. It was another testament to dwarven ingenuity and a monument of times ages past. Just standing near it was enough to remind Heero how truly small he was, and, while Duo and Trowa continued to bicker about which way they should approach the Badlands, Heero was left to ponder, not for the first time since they'd started, whether or not this entire endevour would prove worthwhile. He was just one person, and not a king, or even a prince; how could he ever hope to stand in the way of an ambitious man like Milliardo Wrynn? "We should come around the eastern bank," Trowa was saying, practically shouting to be heard over the thundering waterfalls. "Then we can be sure to avoid Thelsamar and any Allies that might be lurking there." But Duo was shaking his head throughout Trowa's suggestion, though. "It is but a small town, and it's must faster to travel down the western bank," he shouted back. "We are heading to Kargath, are we not?" "I wouldn't know!" snapped Trowa; "You've been extremely close-mouthed about what we are even doing down in these parts, aside from escorting your human pet back to Stormwind. I don't see why we're even walking at all!" Duo chose not to even get into an argument with Trowa about whether or not the Undercity giant bat handler would have allowed more than one person to ride one of his precious mounts, especially if one of them was clearly not part of the Horde. Instead, he cut to the heart of it: " Because , if you've forgotten, I also told the human I'd help him get rid of his curse in exchange for one of Stormwind's treasures," he reminded Trowa tartly. "And to do that, the first thing I need is a blade forged of the strongest metal we can find, which, in these parts, would be thorium – and there's loads of it just south of here." "I still don't see why you're so adamant to help him," Trowa grumbled to himself, irately tugging at Heavypaw's mane. Duo blithely ignored the elf and turned to Heero, surprising him with a question about his opinion on the matter. Heero, who had only been half paying attention to what seemed like a typical argument between Trowa and Duo, was startled and unsure what to say. "It boils down to efficiency or precaution," Duo summed up, raising his voice even louder to reach Heero's ears. It didn't take long for Heero to come up with an answer. "The western bank," he said with a shrug, privately enjoying the irate look that crossed Trowa's face as he spoke. "If our next destination is indeed that Horde outpost in the Badlands, then it is the natural decision. Besides," he added, growing more confident as he continued, "there is nothing for me to fear in Thelsamar." "Well, aren't you lucky," Trowa groused, clearly not pleased that he was being challenged on both sides. "What a shame it is we all can't be afforded the same luxury." Duo interjected before Trowa had a chance to get too much more out of hand. "So it's settled, then," he said, waving Trowa off like a miscreant fly. "We'll climb up the dam and travel down the loch's western bank." Rubbing his palms together, he grinned a dastardly grin, eyes glimmering in the darkness. "Let's get started then, shall we?" Duo had barely whirled in the proper direction when Trowa voiced his opinion yet again, his voice far more firm than it had been before: "I still am not at ease with this," he said staunchly, as if he were issuing a decree. "I still think that it would be more prudent to avoid any Alliance villages at all costs." Halfway through one of the small rivulets that fed into the wetlands, Duo splashed back around to face Trowa. "As we head towards the biggest Alliance village of all," he sighed with an unmistakable twinge of sarcasm. He marched right back up to Trowa and straightened, trying to measure up to Trowa's stature as best he could. "Look, you're either with us or not," he said, jabbing a skeletal finger into the center of Trowa's chest, "and we're going down the western bank!" Trowa's mouth quivered wordlessly for a few moments before he finally retorted, "Fine! And I will go down the eastern bank." He let the meaning of what he said sink in on Duo, and a small grin tugged his lips as he added, "Don't expect me to play cavalry when you get held up around Thelsamar." With that, he turned his back on Duo and started to head in the opposite direction, Heavypaw at his heels. Duo stood defiantly in place as he watched Trowa head towards the eastern side of the dam, his expression tight and unreadable, despite the show he'd been putting on earlier. "Smug bastard," he muttered to himself. Hearing him from his spot a few paces off, Heero volunteered a small sympathy. "If it makes you feel better," he said, his tone frank as usual, "my friend, Quatre – that priest Trowa's been talking to – has a particular way of putting such 'smug bastards' in their proper place." His expression tweaking a bit, Duo glanced over at Heero and asked with a suspicious nod, "What makes you so sure he could manage one like Trowa?" At this, Heero couldn't help but let a small chuckle escape his lips as he replied, "Well, he managed to cull me." The assurance was more than Duo could have asked for. ++++ So massive was the loch, it seemed as if the entire star-speckled sky fit within the confines of its banks as Trowa rounded the eastern edge. The surface of the water was perfectly still, despite the flow of the dam's waterfalls that channeled immeasurable amounts of it to the basin below, and he felt a sense of peace in this newfound solitude. He hadn't meant to argue with Duo before, and he trusted that Duo was smart enough to take care of himself, so he stopped concerning himself with it and instead took the moment to enjoy this brief reprieve from his companions. It wasn't until he was on his own again that he realized how tense he had been for the last few days. It satisfied him only briefly, however, for it didn't take long for a spell of loneliness to set in. Duo and his impulsive scheme to help that damned human might have been ridiculous, even obnoxious at times, but that haphazard attitude was one of the things Trowa liked best about his friend. Even the human, hesitant as he was to admit it, had a few respectable qualities here and there. He thought about his initial intrigue when the whole situation had been presented to him, and he suddenly found himself remembering why he'd wanted to come along at all. Idly, he reached for Heavypaw and stroked his fur, murmuring, "At least you are always here for me, friend." He sighed as Heavypaw let out a contented purr, wishing the lion could speak the languages of men. The thought of conversation found Trowa's hand wandering towards his hip pouch, where he kept Quatre's owl charm. When he realized what he was doing, however, he quickly chomped down on his lower lip and quickly pinned his hand behind his back. It wouldn't do to make the priest think he relied on him, especially after that comment Duo had made earlier. Resolutely, he marched forward, a tight frown marking his features. Peacefulness was certainly a lonely affair. ++++ Quiet also fell on the western bank as Heero and Duo progressed on their own way. Unsure of what he should say, or if he even ought to say anything at all, Heero spent the time feeling anxious that Duo would mark it as yet another thing he found insufficient about him. Duo, on the other hand, was actually just reveling in the fact that they seemed to be enjoying what seemed to be a rather comfortable silence together. Even including Trowa, he hadn't been able to feel that way around anybody in quite some time. That sense of comfort was particularly telling by the fact that Duo was able to easily speak his mind when a whimsical thought passed through his mind. "Do you think we're ahead of Trowa?" he wondered, peering into the distance as if he were searching for a sign of movement across the loch, despite the fact that it was impossible to see the other bank from where they stood. He let out a raspy sigh when he realized this. Heero barely glanced at the water, too busy watching Duo for some kind of sign that might indicate where he was going with this particular train of thought. He wondered what it meant that he only saw Duo as he usually was, his corpse slightly hunched over as he leaned heavily on his staff, lackadaisical, and impossible to read. Considering the slightly guarded way the warlock still carried himself around Trowa, who was his old friend, the easygoing attitude made Heero suspicious that it was all some kind of ruse to lure him into a false sense of security. "I mean, it is longer, but after a couple hundred years of gallivanting through the woods, Trowa is a very fast runner," Duo continued to muse, knitting his leathery brow. He let out a hoarse chuckle, adding, "The years certainly have been kinder to his body – and his face – than they have mine." "You look well enough for someone who's dead," Heero found himself saying before he had a chance to stop himself. Flustered, he swallowed when he noticed the comment had garnered Duo's yellowed gaze. "Or certainly no better than you surely did when you were alive," he tried to amend, though it didn't do much to rescind what he'd said. Frustrated, he said rather crossly, "Not that it even matters. Why do you care if he's ahead of us or not?" "Because we're competing ," Duo answered as if it were obvious, though he couldn't stop the smirk teasing his torn lips. "Is that what it is," Heero muttered under his breath. "It is," Duo insisted with a note of finality, straightening as much as his misaligned spine would allow him to. Heero grunted and shifted his weight from one foot to the other. "Well, if I had a hundred years to live, I'm still not sure it would be enough time for me to ever quite understand you," Heero retorted flatly, crossing his arms. "At least you would be trying," answered Duo, turning south with a swoosh of his violet robes, claiming the final word as his. Heero trotted after the warlock, brooding over this last exchange and what to make of it. The silence that had settled between them earlier returned with Heero's anxiety. He wasn't sure what he wanted Duo to say or do in order to ease his uncertainty, a thought that once again left him concerned as to why it even mattered. He told himself it probably had to do with his newfound doubts regarding how necessary animosity between the Alliance and the Horde really was, but the excuse sounded poor to even his desperate conscience. It was somewhere during that particular thread of thought that Heero heard a sharp snap behind him, like someone stepping on a twig. He jolted and whirled around, narrowing his eyes at the empty landscape before slowly turning back and berating himself for being so edgy. The second time he heard the same noise, his eyes darted every which way, certain that he couldn't be imagining things. It was then that he noticed a presence next to him, and he would have startled if the dwarf that had suddenly appeared beside him hadn't reached up to give his belt a sturdy yank, a wordless signal to keep quiet. With another motion, he gestured for Heero to bend his ear closer as he whispered, "Ye be needin' some 'elp dispatchin' that ghoul, there?" The dwarf's eyes darted forward, settling on Duo's back. Heero blinked in surprise at the dwarf, unsure of how to respond. It wasn't until he realized that the pint-sized man was wearing a tabard decorated in Alliance blue and gold that he made the connection that he was a Thelsamar guardsman and that they had accidentally wandered closer to the town's borders than they'd intended to. Then it dawned upon him that the soldier had probably made the obvious assumption that he was following Duo not because they were traveling companions, but because he was trying to ambush him from behind. Hastily, he whispered back, "It's not what it looks like." The dwarf furrowed his thick, red eyebrows, frowning. "And wot's tha' mean, rogue?" "It means what I said," Heero hissed. He glanced up at Duo, who was still a good fifty paces ahead, and prayed that he hadn't taken notice of the commotion behind him. Though the expression on the dwarf's face was mostly hidden behind his bushy beard, it was clear that he was suspicious of the answer. He glanced at Duo as well, and then back at Heero. Then he put a pair of stubby fingers into his mouth and whistled loudly, alerting not only Duo, but a small brigade of dwarven gunners, who had been hiding amid the rocks. "I'll ask ye again," said the dwarf beside Heero, his voice much more deadly-sounding now, "wot's the meanin' o'all this?" "Don't say a word, Heero," Duo ordered, reaching into his robes to fetch his wand as he stalked back towards the rogue. He had barely pulled it from the depths of his sleeve, when a shot rang out, snapping the wand from Duo's fingers with a lead bullet that only narrowly missed Duo's hand. It smoked menacingly in the grass just behind the warlock, who was glaring into the darkness and cursing the gunner's marksmanship. "Has he takin' ye prisoner, boy?" the dwarf exclaimed, his fists already clenching in predisposed anger. He grabbed Heero's belt again, shaking one of those fists at Duo as he cried, "Well, ye won't be givin' any sort o' commands to one o' mine anymore, ye blighted abomination!" Now very annoyed, Heero gave the dwarf a push, disengaging him from his person. "I told you it wasn't what you thought," he snapped, very much at the edge of his patience. "We're just passing through, so if you'll let us go about our business peacefully, we'll be on our way." But the dwarf was staring at Heero with wide eyes and a slack jaw. "Dinnae tell me that ye be allies with tha'… tha' thing !" he gaped, extending a quivering finger towards Duo. "It is of no consequence to you what the nature of our relationship is," answered Heero, unimpressed by this meaningless row with the dwarf. "Nay, I be thinkin' 'tis," said | |
| Incubus // "Nebula" | Top |
| So I didn't get the job I applied for at the Apple Store. It's not that big of a deal, but I am so eager to get back to NYC, and I feel like I lost a lot of potential job hunting time while I was pursuing that lead. It really stresses me out because I don't have a lot of money at all, and my mom can't really give me anything to live on outside of allowing me to stay at home until I have a place to stay. I guess I was bank ing too much on it, but now it's back to the drawing board, and in this shitty economy, that stresses me out so bad. Dammit, I knew I got jinxed when all the people I was talking to at the Apple Store whilst waiting for my last interview were already welcoming me to the team and all that. Guhh. At least Incubus was awesome last night. I impulsively went to see them with my brother, and nine years after the first time I saw them, they still have it. Unfortunately, they also have too many hits and know the sort of crowd they're playing for: there wasn't enough off of S.C.I.E.N.C.E. or some of their older albums. ...dammit, why don't I have a Stellar Heero/Duo icon? Source | |
| Radiohead // "Down Is The New Up" | Top |
| Title: The Forsaken Author: Link Worshiper Pairings: 1=2, maybe some others if I feel like it Rating: PG-13 Stuff: Fantasy AU, fluff, sap, language, adventure, WoW nerdiness Disclaimer: I own Gundam Wing action figures? Warcraft and its lore belongs to Blizzard Entertainment. Both things are being played with out of fangirl love. Thanks to danse and Natea for the once over. Despite the fact this is part of Natea's birthday present, I still needed her to fill me in on the Alliance history they don't teach us on Horde, so thanks for that also =P Check out my site, [zephyr121] , for any parts you might need to catch up on. ++++ Part X Ripples ++++ Duo knew that Trowa was probably wondering where they were, but he also thought it would be prudent to stop and make sure that neither of them wore any telltale signs of the demonic slaughter that had overtaken Heero near the harbour. They had long since evacuated the scene of the fight, but they were still a good twenty minute pace from where Trowa was waiting. Stopping at one of the more secluded pools of the many that covered the wetlands, Duo sat down at its edge and commanded Heero to start washing. Still trying hard to act as reserved as possible around Duo, Heero started pulling off his gloves and boots. All of his outerwear was so bloodstained, it looked as if he had cured the leather with a dark red dye. Even his face looked as if it had been painted, and his long bangs were stiff with crusted blood. He grimaced as each piece of clothing was dropped into an unceremonious pile at his side. Then, stripped down to only a linen shirt and underwear, he slid into the shallow pool, wading in to his knees and then sitting down to scrub his skin clean. As he bent over the rippling water to splash his face, he paused, momentarily caught off guard by how alien his features looked covered in so much gore. It reminded him how unlike a hero he was. "This is not life," he murmured. "What's wrong?" came Duo's voice from behind. He sounded pleasant – or as pleasant as a Forsaken could – and it served only to confuse Heero as to what his mood was. "Nothing," Heero intoned flatly, not bothering to turn around. He dunked his head into the pool and let the blood clout the water around his face. He resurfaced to the sound of Duo's raspy guffaws. "Your guilt amuses me," Duo finally managed to say between laughs. He was leaning over the side of the pool, trying to rinse the blood from his huge sleeves while avoiding as much water as possible. Asahi bounced next to him, a tiny silk bandage wrapped almost comically around his middle. At this, Heero whirled around, the water churning around his legs as he did so. "You would make sport of someone who feels guilt at the hands of slaughter?" he demanded, shaking. "No," Duo drawled, flicking his still dirty sleeves. "But I would treat one as such who felt guilt over something he could not help. To me, that is wasted effort." Heero's lips tightened, but he did not argue. Duo had a fair enough point, he supposed, but it didn't do to make him feel much better. Besides, the more he thought about it, the more it did seem like he was the one to blame: if he hadn't obeyed King Milliardo's command, for instance…. Meanwhile, Duo was still watching Heero from the bank, no longer interested in his sleeves after deeming the purple fabric dark enough to mask the blood. Instead, he leaned his chin into one hand and observed wistfully, "You're the sort who never changes, it would seem." Heero, who had barely gone back to washing himself, found himself turning to glare at Duo once more. "What does that mean?" he wanted to know. "You – your attitude – I can see it all over your face," Duo clarified, though he still somehow managed to be vague. "You try not to feel remorse for anything, but when you do, it eats away at your soul, doesn't it." The comment wasn't even a question, but a very confident statement of fact. "Or perhaps you have conditioned yourself to follow orders so perfectly and so thoughtlessly, you don't even see the repercussions of your actions until—" "Enough!" Heero interrupted loudly, not fond of where Duo was heading with his assessment. Smacking the water impatiently, he grimaced, "You may have heard of me, but far be it to know who I am and what my life is like. Presume what you want, but dare not think that you understand a thing about me, Duo Blackscythe." Much to Heero's annoyance, all Duo did was allow his lips to rise up into a lazy smile, which actually made Heero more uncomfortable than even the most wicked expression he had yet seen on Duo's face. It seemed to Heero like Duo was not the sort to say what he meant, though he certainly meant what he said. It made him wonder, not for the first time, just who Duo was, really. Gathering his fill of amusement from Heero's very visible agitation, Duo interrupted Heero's thoughts, saying, "Mm, you tell me so much without even trying. It must be hard wearing your heart on your sleeve without anyone ever noticing it's there." He was eying Heero carefully, eager for even the tiniest of reactions, but was disappointed to find that Heero had stifled his expression with almost painful vigor. Masking his own dissatisfaction, Duo turned away from Heero and glared sharply at the pile of bloody leathers Heero had left by the pool, all the while wondering if Heero's stiltedness had more to do with faction or with him, personally. "Hurry it up, then," he barked, his frustration creeping into his voice. "We haven't got all day, and Trowa will be wondering if we've drowned in the harbour by now." Heero took a moment to simply stare at Duo, once again put off guard by this sudden flip in attitude. He probably would have remained that way for a bit longer if Duo hadn't abruptly decided to kick all his bloody clothing into the pond, jarring Heero from his stupor. Snapping back to attention, Heero growled, "You're the one who insisted we stop, so don't place the blame on me for our delay." "Tch, you humans are so preoccupied with blame," Duo snorted, crossing his arms presumptuously. "In death, you would find that such things matter hardly at all." "Then it is a shame not all of us can be like you," Heero deadpanned, stomping through the water to fish his leathers out before they became damaged. His growing agitation was plain with the way he threw each article back onto the bank with astounding vigor. The comment struck a nerve with Duo, and all of his usually controlled demeanor faded away. His lips curling back around his jagged teeth, he snapped, "Alright, then why don't you just drag as many humans as you can up to Northrend and let yourselves fall victim to the Scourge? Then you can see how wonderful undeath tastes in the service of Treize." He spat unceremoniously at Heero's pile of wet clothing, which Heero had just pulled out of the water. "Or would you rather me just take you back to Undercity, where my colleagues in the Royal Apothecary Society can experiment on you until your intestines fall out of your ears." This time, there was no question as to whether or not Duo was joking, which flustered Heero to no end. Taken aback, he stammered, "Duo, I-I'm sorry… I…." "Forget it!" Duo went on, not even hearing Heero's attempted apology. "You have no idea what it's like to wake up one day and realize that you're dead. It's almost worse being Forsaken than even being one of the Scourge, because at least then, you have no idea what's happened to you. At least you have no idea who you're killing, who you're… you're…." Duo had started to quiver, though whether it was because of rage or distress was hard to tell. It was then that a few key pieces fell into place for Heero. With a hum of realization, he asked softly, "Duo, who did you lose to the Scourge?" The words crashed against the backs of Duo's teeth as he suddenly clamped his mouth shut in surprise, a finger still lifted like he meant to deliver a particularly menacing argument. His empty, glowing eye sockets flickered as he slowly lowered his hand, staring straight through Heero all the while. "Trowa mentioned it briefly," Duo mumbled so quietly, Heero had to strain to hear. "It was my brother…." Heero dared not move, even as water dripped from the tips of his bangs and ran uncomfortably down his face. Once again, that urge to know more about Duo – to understand him – rose up within him, but this time, he did nothing to try and quell it. He even held his breath. But Duo said no more on the subject, quick to direct the conversation in a way that would keep Heero's prying curiosity far from his personal history. Heero was starting to notice that Duo's jumps in tone and attitude seemed to be coupled with subject matters the undead warlock would rather avoid. "And what about you?" Duo said glibly, jabbing a bony finger at Heero. "You who is so tightly wound? You must have a reason for being that way. Perhaps something you'd rather hide?" Again, Duo's face was warped with the shape of that damned smile of his, like he knew far more than he was letting on, but this time, Heero suspected it was a ruse to divert the true nature of his feelings. A breeze rippled across the pool, causing Heero to shiver as he stared up at the overcast sky, frowning. Even if he had wanted to supply Duo with an answer, he wasn't sure what he would have said. Duo had an uncanny knack for getting under his skin with just the right comment, and a discomforting nausea settled in his stomach at the realization that Duo seemed to understand him well enough to do so. It reminded him of when he had been younger and living in Dalaran: those who had managed to push their way into his circle of trust had made him feel similarly with their observations of his character, and even worse still, when a good number of them faded into mere memories. If he was worried about the prospect of Duo leaving him alone as so many of the people in his past had, then Heero could safely say that stranger things had happened. However, he said nothing of these musings as he continued to methodically scrub the blood out of his clothing. He had learned a long time ago that silence was often the safest route, even if it hurt to swallow. Meanwhile, as that same breeze tossed through Duo's long, ratty hair, a similar nostalgia had settled upon the Forsaken's shoulders. He forced himself to look away from Heero, whose very existence reminded him so much of what it had been like to be alive, cursing the emptiness that undeath had left him. Looking around at the beautiful life he could only stand on the outside of, he muttered under his breath, "You have no idea how lucky you are to simply be alive." Heero pointedly ignored him, dunking his leather jerkin through the reflection of his face in the water. ++++ Trowa was dosing by the dying embers of a fire and the swishing tail of the ever-watchful Heavypaw when Heero and Duo returned. Heero still looked a bit messy, and his hair was damp, but he was a sight less noticeable than he'd been when he'd been covered in blood. Both he and Duo were a bit on the morose side since their discussion by the pond, each lost in his own thoughts about the meaning of the words they'd exchanged, and it didn't take long for Trowa to take notice. "What now?" he bemoaned, getting to his feet so he could stamp out the remnants of the fire with the heel of his boot. "Did you have a lovers quarrel or something?" His voice was barbed with sarcasm. "Very funny," Duo sneered, though his eyes had slid in Heero's direction surreptitiously. Without further ado, he tossed the bag of provisions at Trowa, which landed at his feet with an unceremonious thud. "Well, let's keep going then," he said impatiently as Trowa stooped to inspect what they had obtained at the harbour. Trowa was still rummaging through the pack as they began to walk again. "Excellent taste," he commented as he pulled a flagon of wine out of the bag so he could inspect the label better. He glanced over at Heero, who was staring at the ground, and gave him a nod of approval when he finally managed to catch his eye. With Duo leading the way, followed by Heero and then Trowa and Heavypaw, they resumed their course south, towards the enormous loch that was regulated by a stone wrought dam so large, it knew no parallel anywhere else in Azeroth. They would have to travel around the loch, treading carefully because the land was still Alliance controlled until they reached the contested territory beyond it. The mood was still a bit awkward, and they continued in a silence that was interrupted only by their footfalls and the twitter of the woodlands around them. After traveling like this for a bit, the monotony was broken up for Trowa by a low chime that seemed to be coming from his hip pouch. Slowing his pace only slightly, Trowa peeled back the flap to investigate the sound, unsurprised to find Heero's owl charm glowing faintly in the depths of the bag. He schooled his reaction, silently lamenting what a horrible time Quatre had chosen to try and contact him, only to then worry whether or not the priest had somehow known to choose this moment intentionally. He snapped the pouch's flap closed, resolutely boring his stare into the back of Heero's head as if ignoring the charm would make it stop. It actually seemed to work for a bit, until Heero, who seemed to have just noticed the chime, started frantically digging through his own hip pouch in search of the charm he hadn't realized he'd lost. Taking note of the commotion behind him, Duo looked back over his shoulder with furrowed eyebrows, wondering what was wrong. "My… this… this trinket that my friend…." Heero stammered distractedly, now patting down his entire length as if he might have squirreled it away somewhere else on his person and then forgotten. "I thought I heard its magic," he explained vaguely, distracted by his frantic search. Trowa unconsciously gripped the belt loop his own side pouch hung from. Duo frowned, crossing his arms and tossing his head with exasperation. "Well, no need to lose your marbles over it," he said. "You're giving me stress just watching you like that." "No, you don't understand," Heero fretted, his hands thrust back into his side pouch for a second rummage through. "It was a gift from my oldest – from my only – friend! I can't have lost it…. I'll be all…." He trailed off, distracted by his fruitless search. His face contorted with frustration, and had he not been the well-schooled individual he was, he might have let out a roar so mighty, it would have shook the very boughs of the trees that stood around them. Duo's face melted into a bland expression that was meant to disguise the disheartened sensation welling up inside him. It surprised him that a feeling such as empathy was something he could still experience in his current, eternally embittered state, but it was not unwelcome. It seemed almost ridiculous now that he thought about it, but he had kind of begun to feel like he might be called a friend of Heero's, and to hear otherwise was a bit of an unexpected blow. It was then that Duo shot a glance at Trowa, who seemed suspiciously unenthused, and noticed the way the elf was gripping his side pouch. It didn't | |
| Tulog Na- Sugarfree Live! with Manila Symphony Orchestra | Top |
| I should have posted earlier but Plurk has got me with one of its eternal "250 plurks"loops. In the middle of wading through the plurkages, the Sugarfree Live! with the Philharmonic Orchestra is playing, making me shiver with sheer alternative rock music + orchestra music goodness. :D For some weird reason, I had seemed to have pressed the "Mark All as Read". Hah. Ah well, I am still feeling giddy. XD Went out with Heero-kun and luckychan yesterday and did some catching up with our lives now. Well, Heero-kun and I met up first at SM Marikina to do some heart-to-heart talk about an issue but we ended up enjoying my first time at the new SM mall. Took some shots of the River bank s which I would soon post in Multiply after fixing my camera. I also got my Sugarfree Live! cd there in Odyssey. Jay nearly disowned me when he overheard me talking to the saleslady. Me: Miss, asan po yung Sugarfree concert? Yung kasama nila yung Philippine Harmonic Symposium?(while the saleslady was looking for it and I was squeeing excitedly, Jay had a very horrified look on his face) Jay: Ano uli sabi mo? Philharmonic Symposium? Me: May concert ang Sugarfree dati, kasama nila yung Philippine Harmonic Symposium...(realizes what I said) *facepalms* What the...hell? (dawning horror) Saleslady: Ah, eto na. (hands me the cd. I quickly turn over the cover, which I read while feeling a blush creeping on my face) Me: (reading the cover) Manila Symphony Orchestra... (looks at Jay as he fights to keep his face straight) Symposium? Jay: (half-horrified and half-amused) Hindi ko kilala ito! My tongue had seemed to have been dyslexic after that, all through the afternoon. After a lot of bickering, we bought Chocolate Torte cake from Sugarhouse for Mama and Chocolate Brownie cake for the award-winning author (which she later added "na sana di na single...but alas..."). Jay had paid for the cake because I had lacked the funds and asked him if we could withdraw cash before leaving. Unfortunately, there was no Metro bank atm in the area so we had to walk to River bank s (which Jay admitted was his first time there). Jay then remembered he wanted to go to Ateneo to go to the Church of Gesu to hear mass so we trekked the "shortcut" to Ateneo. We ended up walking all the way to Katipunan. I was into fits of laughter while Jay casted me baleful looks, while muttering, "5 kilometers...from SM Marikina to Katipunan...nilakad lang natin!" Sabi mo e. Ikaw nagyayang mag-shortcut. We waited for Leslie at Seattle's Best and had Double Chocolate Mint (ayoko na sa Starby) and Vanilla Milkshake. Later, Jay was complaining to me that he forgot he was lactose intolerant and the Vanilla Milkshake upset his stomach. I later learned that the two were together the night before because they attended nakuru_cute 's birthday treat at High Street. We settled at Shakey's for mojos and shared the brownie cake for dessert. I really find it weird that I don't take pictures of many of my most memorable and enjoyable times of my life. I was too busy laughing and enjoying their company than play the photographer. The afternoon passed too quickly, sadly. But thanks again because I missed the two of you. <3 I was also squeeing tonight because of this: Aoi has appeared! New chapter for KawaMei ! The development made me facepalm, though. I am being haunted by foxes in cute sheep's clothing! O_O Last Saturday, _ligaya_ texted me that there would be an OS gathering at Atchie's and if I wanted to meet up. Since I had not slept for 24 hours, I declined the OS but agreed to see them (I have been deprived of my harem for a month now). I visited jactinglim 's dormitory to pester her. Invaded her plurk and learned that KWMS has 5 volumes and 32 chapters. And is already licensced. T__________________T Met Eric, finally. Hee. :D Sidebar Cafe has changed my punto de Vista. XD (Yes, geeks, laugh if you get that JOKE!) My work had been getting much better now, in a sense I'm finally keeping my AHT down and helping out with the PS work. Although, this also meant Wave 1 is now disbanded. I'm out of Coachie Jude's team because of the shuffle. Was assigned to Team Rodil/Iceman with most of my former RSs (L2s) plus newbies. For some weird reason, the guy Aburatsubo-sama had been pairing me up with ended in our team. He had been constantly nagging me to get a (love)life for the last 2 weeks. And he started it off by nagging me to change my cologne scent. By the way, Aburatsubo-sama is officially now our team's OM. I don't know if that should please me or not. Now he's got more leverage now to "transform" me from a tomboy to a "sweet Coach Mhackie". >_< And he is now adding up to the people auctioning me off to finally get a boyfriend. Please, no. I want my uke, still. But maybe more of because I want to be perverse and bad-ass. Honestly speaking, I like the guy but I don't know him that well. He intrigues me because he is nice to me and I admit, he is attractive. But I don't like being pushed towards someone like that. It was bad enough with Vermont and Raymond (and that was just joke stuff) kasi malapit-lapit na rin ako mapikon. The difference was I know these guys to laugh it off. This one, I don't like the feeling of being drawn to a guy I don't even have an idea who he is. I mean, he's the type I usually find interesting but I rather know him first. Besides, my heart is no one's concern except mine. I know they were well-meaning but let me sort my baggages first. On my acads: I can't march this sem because I need a year of residency. I can finish but no diploma until next year. *sighs* Tried the new Cruel Registration Scheme. I am praying to God I get Anthro 165. Please? Health-wise, I'm okay now. Just learning how to deal with my current status as a hypertensive and diabetic. Well, not that I am on insulin, thank God. I just have to be careful to let my BP steady and sugar not so high. I may had been on some tough spots this year but it looks like there are some good things out of them. I just hope I can still be that positive once I get to next year. D: Ah well. Good night for now. :) [EDIT] The Anthro 165 would be taught by Sir Jocano, who was my prof in Language Anthro. He is also one of my favorite profs in UP because he's just full of awesome. XD Interestingly, he is the brother of speaknoenglish . I marvel at how small the world is. Source | |
| Foreclosures, ARM's, and the BIG Mistake | Top |
| See the L.A. Daily News article on Report Hits Close to Home , posted in the Real Estate News Section of my website . The San Fernando Valley had the highest number of foreclosures in L.A. area during April 2007. Twenty-three homes were lost to foreclosure and 289 properties were in some stage of the process. And if you read the book Sell Now , by John R. Talbott, you get the feeling "you ain't seen nothin' yet". Talbott's expecting a huge wave of more foreclosures to come and he blames in part the rampant use (abuse) of Option ARMs. He's right in the context he's referring to, i.e., that people have been buying homes they could never have otherwise afforded, and never will. Now they're paying the piper. And by making the unaffordable artificially affordable, we've managed to inflate the entire housing market...artificially. But don't throw the baby out with the bathwater! There's a right way and a wrong way to use an Option ARM. You need to understand that you can't build a castle by eating away at it simultaneously. However, Option ARMs are very appropriate when your goal is to accumulate the principal outside of just handing it over to the mortgage company . In other words, if you use the savings of an Option ARM to still make your principal payments, but make them into something (i.e. a cash or other investment account) where you can control getting it back for emergency or investment opportunities, then you haven't really failed to make your principal payments at all, have you? In fact, if you take a look at Doug Andrew's new book, The Last Chance Millionaire , and you read Chapter 7, Learn How to Become Your Own er, you'll see that this is actually a faster way of paying off a mortgage! Believe it or not, we actually recommend to many of our clients to get an Option ARM -- IF they will take the otherwise payable principal, and save or invest it. Now you're off to the races! That principal could buy other real estate, or be invested into insured investments which have a history of clearly outperforming the cost of the mortgage. That's how you use an Option ARM. Source | |
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