No Frills Computing

One thing I've learned from my practical father is to keep things simple. My dad has this straightforward, no-nonsense approach to life. He has zero tolerance for frills. You can see it in the cars he drive (reliable second hand cars), the mobile phone he uses (a featureless, low-end myPhone) and the clothes he wears (simple and comfortable outfits).

Despite my penchant for relatively good style (especially in terms of my sporting outfits!), I've fully embraced the good example of my old man. The no-nonsense, no-frills simple lifestyle is best seen my trusty desktop computer. Ever since I was a kid, I've always been fascinated with computers. My dad, being the strict disciplinarian that he is, provided me and my kid brother scant access to top-of-the-line computing and console technology. Hence, I had to innovate and make do with what I have. 

As late as 2008, I was stuck using an antiquated Panasonic Toughbook (700 mhz Celeron processor, 10 GB HD, 192 MB RAM). In this day and age, such specs are grossly inadequate. I could hardly surf the net without seeing my laptop slow to painful crawl. Thus, I found ways to cut the fat amidst all the bloatware programs. I opted to use old versions of programs like Mozilla Firefox, Winamp, Yahoo Messenger and Media Player Classic. Instead of using the newest versions of Windows and Microsoft Office, I settled with Windows XP and MS Office 2000.

Soon enough, I discovered the world of open-source software, where lightweight programs abound.

At the start of 2010, I bought a five-year IBM motherboard (P4, 2.0 GHZ, 2 GB RAM) from my techie cousin and assembled my first-ever home-built PC. It was a labor of love - the fruition of years worth tinkering with these gadgets. Despite a few bumps here and there, my trusty desktop has worked like a charm. The addition of a 1TB internal hard drive a few months back solved my burgeoning disk space problems. For the first time in years, I actually had a computer that could cope with today's basic requirements.

Dabr - a nifty Twitter client - running on Firefox 4

The advent of mobile internet use saw the emergence of vastly stripped-down versions of essential websites like Facebook and Twitter. For the no-frills power user that I am, this was god-sent. Nowadays, I hardly even use the slow, cumbersome Twitter homepage, opting for Dabr. I ocassionally use Facebook's mobile version, whenever my PC hobbles (my desktop is prone to this, since it obviously isn't top of the line). For my music experience, I use a lightweight, open-source music player called Billy which is a mere 500kb in size. Media Player Classic (from the K-lite codec) and VLC media player are my media players of choice.

Classic-looking XP SP3 running Billy.

To update my trusty 1GB 2nd Gen Ipod Shuffle, I use a nifty hack called iShuffle, where one can do away with the resource hog called iTunes. iShuffle enables the Shuffle owner to transfer music to and from the mp3 player like a good ole USB drive. Yes, I am a staunch Apple hater (except for the Shuffle, of course).

I tried using various versions of Linux the past few years, but I never did get the groove. Indeed, I'm a hardcore Windows user, preferring the familiar interface of the Microsoft product from the alien, command-based approach of Linux. Thus, I'm using a bootlegged self-installing copy of Windows XP SP3 (downloaded from Pirate Bay!). I did away with those fancy desktop themes and opted for a classic look, reminiscent of Windows 2000. I'll be shifting to Windows 7 when I've saved enough cash to buy a newer, more powerful machine.

Even then, I don't see myself upgrading to fancier software or ascribing to those wasteful desktop themes and skins.

Old Songs

How do you define "old"? The concept of age, after all, is relative not absolute. What is old for one, may not be necessarily old for another. Take for instance Magic 89.9's Friday Madness. Back in high school, they used to play those New Wave hits all day long. In one of the rare times I tuned in to the radio, I heard one of Lenny Kravitz's bad-ass guitar solos. For me, anything released before the 90's will always be old. Conversely, those produced after the 90's I'll always consider new.

I'm an oldies man to the core. I love stuff that are tinged with time's tender (and not-so-tender) travails. From surplus Japanese electronics, retro track & field outfits, pre-War Manila to cougars like Cory Quirino and Jane Seymour, I love 'em all! Perhaps it's due to the warm fuzzy feeling brought about by nostalgia. All things old evoke that homey emotion.

Nothing reflects this deeply-wrought appreciation than my taste in music. For as long as I can remember, I've always listened to the so-called "mellow" and "slow rock" radio stations such as 94.7 and 96.3, respectively. As my musical horizons widened, I became exposed to various types of music. I had a long alternative music phase in grade school, wherein I listened to great bands such as Garbage, No Doubt and Suede. In high school, I explored the alien sounds of the defunct NU 107's brand of rock only to end up belching out those immortal Side A hits like "Set You Free" and "Forevermore" at the latter years of my secondary education.

Since I had lots of free time for the good part of the 2008, my musical appreciation widened considerably. I discovered a hidden liking for Jazz (swinging jazz, big band jazz and piano jazz). Perhaps it was the years spent listening to my dad's Smooth Jazz radio stations that did the trick. Jazz is an entirely different world from my old power ballad, mellow songs, John Mayer-laced playlist of yore. Although I learned to enjoy instrumental music from my favorite classical composers, Jazz stands out.

As a self-confessed videoke afficionado, the standards are an integral part of my repertoire of songs. I absolutely adore listening (and singing) songs like "I've Got You Under My Skin" and "The Way You Look Tonight" in my own style of crooning! It's like being in a time warp to a time long gone - a time of Humphrey Bogart-accented American English and World War II, an era without WiFi and 24/7 business news. It certainly feels like looking at a black & white world through the lenses of color.

Music is so wide and diverse to be constrained by taste, preference and prejudice. Living in this day and age where huge amonts of information flow freely across the globe is the perfect time for one's musical longings to be poked, rattled and turned topsy-turvy with an eclectic approach in writing one's playlist.

Reposted from my old Multiply blog

Manila (28 February 2009)

Daniel Burnham once depicted Manila as “possessing the bay of Naples, the winding river of Paris, and the canals of Venice.” The Manila of today certainly doesn't fit this description.

When I was in high school, I used to commute all the way to the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex from our old house in Novaliches, Quezon city. I hated every minute of the hours-long jeepney ride. Manila seemed foreign to me, with its narrow, clogged roads. The heat and the humidity were like an unwanted blanket on a hot summer day. My lungs heaved twice as hard through the smoke-filled air. Everywhere I looked, I saw urban degradation. The city is the microcosm of everything that has gone wrong with our country. What was once a centerpiece of the Pearl of the Orient, is now but a shadow of its old self.

As time passed by, I developed a unique liking to our capital city's environs. Amidst the hazy blur of today's chaotic sights, I saw faint glimmers of Manila's past grandeur.

I recall one particular late afternoon while riding in my friend's car. We were lost in the maze of streets in the Quiapo-Chinatown area. From the road lining the banks of the murky Pasig, I peered at the faded structures of the Escolta across the river. Despite the shady characters looming nearby and the dirt-strewn streets I saw beauty. There and then I realized how beautiful this city of ours is.

I began conjure images of Old Manila basking in its old extravagance. I pictured a city untouched by the ravages of war and hasty urban planning, where one could ride trams, river boats and calesas to enjoy the city's numerous sights.

Hope is not lost, however. Through the years, plans that have sought to breathe new life into Manila has materialized, with the Baywalk as a good example. There's also talk about rehabilitating the Pasig River and plans to repair the art deco-styled Metropolitan Theater.

One often wonders how different Manila would be, had Burnham's plans been followed to the letter. In this day and age, that thought is best left to imagination.

Reposted from my old Multiply blog.