Jay Lagare

General

Collision

By on Friday, November 5, 2010

Last night, I was driving home from work when I got into a collision. I was on the access road from the office, on the 3rd lane turning right towards the main street. I was already in the middle of the main street and halfway through my turn when I had to stop because of the congestion. Then out of nowhere, a red Toyota Vios came zooming along the street and clipped my left front corner.

The damage on my car were: damaged left fender, damaged bumper, broken left turn light, and others that I might not have noticed. The damage on the Vios were: damaged right fender, damaged bumper, a stuck right front door, and others that I might not have noticed.

It seemed obvious to me that she was the one moving since her fender was pushed back towards the door causing it to stick. Also my left turn light was pulled outward. I can only hope the investigator will agree with me.

Vioses always scare me. They’re usually driven by newbie female drivers. Double whammy! Next time I see a Vios, I’ll make sure to stay clear.

UPDATE: The investigator didn’t agree with me. Not that he really investigated in the real sense. He just took pictures and took down our narrative of events :(

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General

Joining The Side Of The Light

By on Thursday, November 4, 2010

Now that’s a rather ungainly title. The dark side would be Microsoft. The side of the light would be Apple: somehow it evokes images of a supposedly utopian society, open, clean, orderly, and full of happy, contented people. But under the surface is a dark and sinister truth:  Steve Job’s and his infamous reality distortion field. Those under its spell  goes where he wants them to go and want what he wants them to want.

This is quite ironic since Apple’s famous ad “1984” portrays Apple as the liberator from a controlling entity representing supposedly IBM and, later, Microsoft. The ad is based on the novel of the same name by George Orwell. In the novel, Oceania is totalitarian state whose government  controls the speech, actions, and thoughts of its subjects. The ruler of Oceania is the dictatorial Big Brother. These days, Apple is more and more like the Oceania government and Steve Jobs Big Brother.

Still, it’s undeniable that Apple pulled off a mean feat with the iPhone. Apps is is now an everyday word and the millions and millions of users presents a very compelling argument for developing them. Of course, users buy only apps Apple wants them to buy. What is available on the App Store is tightly controlled by Apple. But hey, just develop what Apple wants you to develop!

Unfortunately, you need a Mac to develop for the iPhone. So today, I pulled the trigger on a 13-inch MacBook Pro. I chose it over the slightly less expensive MacBook because of the faster processor, bigger RAM (4GB!), and, of course, the aluminum unibody (call it higher-end-in-an-egalitarian-society look). Plus I still have the  capability to develop Android apps. I can even play games (that’s the key thing)!

And so begins my journey to the Apple dystopia and hopefully towards becoming an iPhone developer. But first, Starcraft II!

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General

All Souls’ Day

By on Tuesday, November 2, 2010

Today is All Souls’ Day which commemorates the departed in general as opposed to yesterday All Saints’ Day which commemorates those who have attained sainthood. But strangely, the whole bunch of people went to cemeteries yesterday on Nov 1 instead of today. Probably it was because Nov 1 is usually declared a holiday.

On any ordinary day, I don’t like going to cemeteries, a childhood full of horror stories and flicks sort of ruined it all for me. Plus the reality that many cemeteries here are overcrowded with the dead. But Nov 1 makes the cemeteries overcrowded with both the living and the dead. And it is the living who pretty much completely spoil whatever remaining charm cemeteries may have. They turn what would otherwise be a solemn and somber memorial into a raucous and rowdy circus.

Besides, I like to think the dead are up in heaven rather than under the ground. Or maybe in hell, in which case I don’t want to have anything to do with them.

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General

Old Spice

By on Saturday, October 30, 2010

I used to use Old Spice. Mainly because my dad used it. Later, I found that girls whose dads wore Old Spice liked it. That’d be quite a few of my friends and acquaintances. But even back then, it had this reputation of being an old spouse‘s scent. But I’ll be if these Old Spice videos didn’t make it even just a wee bit cooler. I use Old Spice.

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General

Butterfly

By on Thursday, October 28, 2010

I sometimes bring Jeanne with me when I go out in the morning to fetch the car from the parking building. It’s a good opportunity to spend a few extra minutes together before leaving for work and for her to breath some fresh air and soak in some sunlight. I also get to show her things along the way. This morning we saw a yellow butterfly as it fluttered randomly around one of the pocket gardens between buildings. Reminded me of back when I was a kid we when we would go around the garden catching butterflies. It was a fun experience (though not for the butterflies) and I hope Jeanne will be able to experience it.

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