I arrived at work after the long weekend to find new seatmates. I SMSed Mark, who’s supposed to by my neighbor to the right to ask if he has been informed of a new desk assignment. He wasn’t and it was only when he arrived that we found out that a team from another room has been relocated to our area and he has been moved to my left. Something like that has happened to me, too. I arrived one day after being on leave to find someone else sitting on my desk. And not even an email as to what happened. I ended up waiting at the reception for someone who knows where I was supposed to sit. How’s that for uncoordinated?
For the first time in months, I topped up with Shell V-Power. I just couldn’t help but indulge on their top-of-the-line fuel. At P37 or so per liter, it was way cheaper than the price till a few weeks ago of their least-expensive fuel: the alcohol-laced E10. Gas prices have been going down which is definitely good. But the downside is that there’s a pronounced increase in the number of cars on the road along with the consequent traffic jams. Pretty fast response to price changes. Demand for fuel is supposedly inelastic in general. Probably a change in elasticity at certain price breakpoint? Either that or it’s just my imagination :P
I have belatedly discovered Defender of the Ancients or, as it is more commonly called, DOTA. Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you would know that it is a scenario map of Warcraft III. In the scenario map, you and the other players play heroes against each other. To aid in this pursuit, you have available weapons, armor, potions, and other items that enhance you abilities. Sort of like a It’s like a role-playing game in a nutshell.
Previously, I’ve only been playing Starcraft as that’s about the only good game I can play on my old IBM Thinkpad X22. However, when I got my Asus EEE PC, I found out I can actually play Warcraft III, and consequently DOTA, reasonably well. So now, after almost 5 years I’m finally playing it.
Better late than never.
It was bound to happen sooner or later. I was driving home when suddenly my airbag light started blinking. I put it off as some electrical ground but after a few minutes, it started blinking again. This happened two or three times before my car suddenly stopped cold. Of course it had to happen right in an intersection.
With the aid of a helpful bicyclist, I was able to push it to the side of the street, away from obstructing the intersection and the risk of being towed by the ever vigilant boys in blue. I then called my Citibank Shell card’s hotline for a tow. Tintin, the CSR I talked to was very helpful but still, I had to wait a few hours for the flat-bed truck to arrive. Once they did, they loaded the car and drove to Fusion R, my favorite car repair shop.
The shop checked the battery and found that the battery was almost completely drained. To check if it was the culprit, they charged it from the mains and, after an hour or so, they were able to start the car. So it wasn’t the battery. Next possibility was the alternator. To check if it was the culprit they removed the battery terminal while the car was running. It died. Meaning, the alternator is not producing enough power if at all. They took it down and checked further. And sure enough, it was the alternator. They recommend rewinding and replacement of a diode set.
I gave it a go. It’s not like I had a choice with such a critical system component. But at least they did a good job.
(Car repairs by Fusion R, E. Rodriguez, Q.C. Call them at +632-724-3921 or +63922-853-2700 and ask for Jona)
In-Yo is one of Katipunan’s best kept secrets (so I guess now it isn’t). Actually it isn’t really along Katipunan per se so that would be one reason for the seclusion. It is located along Esteban Abada which is the street parallel to Katipunan. It’s a quite quaint place. You park in a small gravel parking area amidst a nice garden. There’s even a small koi pool. The interior is well done.
But of course the important thing is the food and, thankfully, it doesn’t disappoint either. The menu is gourmet so if you’re used to “American” size servings, In-Yo’s would appear relatively small, relatively expensive. They look like they’re meant less for filling up your stomach in the fastest way possible and more for tasting and viewing. But it’s perfect for a romantic dinner.