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The following essay was inspired by the writer's colleague's photo album title: "Take Dem Pics B'fo I Busta Cap On Yo Ass!" as well as another colleague's course on Photography. (You guys know who you are)

True enough. Why do we?

Man, I believe, invents out of necessity. He invented the door so as to provide protection from outside forces--may it be the weather or malicious intruders--as well as to create a sense of privacy from the outside world. He then created the doorknob in order to make the operation of his previous invention a lot easier. It appears that man never did made anything that wasn't put to good use, even stuff like Spam and forwarded quote messages. Annoying and painfully irritating as they are, they seem to serve a purpose; in a not so purposeful way though.

With this, the question then turns on the contraption that captures reality and immortalizes it.

The camera.

Why, as said earlier, do we take pictures of each other?

I believe we do take photographs because we put value on something that, on a superficial level, might not be of much value to begin with. We cherish another person's smile, a friend's laugh, a loved one's warm embrace. With that, we want to remember those memories. Even though we may not be able to re-live those events again, we try to capture even a small millisecond of it--since we believe that that speck of a moment was worth immortalizing.

A camera does not only capture what is physical and visual. It also captures the emotions of those people in the photograph. Though it may not be explicit, and that the eyes are not able to see it, the sentiments are thoroughly embedded in a piece of 300x400 pixel photograph. The heart takes over what the senses cannot process. Upon seeing a photo, we not only see what it portrays, but we also feel; especially if we are in it.

We take pictures because we want to remember. We want to remember that certain giddy feeling, may it be a simple class picture, a lively party, or an intimate photo with our significant other. We want to remember because, sooner or later, we may take those memories for granted--or even worse, forget them altogether.

Photographs are a part of our lives. The primitive Neanderthal painstakingly created cave drawings, artists laboriously drew paintings of families, and--most importantly--we preserved time with just a click of a button. Hence, I ask, my dear readers, are photographs just a simple, superficial, "want" or a well-invented "need"?

 

"She thinks I can't see the smile that she's fakin', poses for pictures but I'm being taken away..."

Hello everyone!

Welcome to another issue of car tips. Alright, I still want to extend the word Car Tips. I want to extend the word tips not only for taking care of your car, but also the driver. in this case, that means you. Now it's easy to take care of your own car. You wash it, clean it, polish it, and even give it endearing names sometimes.

But the thing is, can you take care of yourself? Can you be a responsible, prudent, and peace-loving driver?

Well, i've researched the whole net for someone you could learn a few lessons from. And no, that's not me, i'm no role-model driver anyway. but hey, i've found something you could learn a few things from. And guess what? Kids nowadays know this, and maybe you do, but then I'd introduce to you people from Liberty City, San Andreas, and Vice City.

Yeah, I guess you know what I'm talkin about. I want to introduce to you the protagonists of Grand Theft Auto. Haha. Let's see if we can learn something from them.

Aright, a few lessons from Grand Theft Auto.

First of all, don't STEAL a freakin' car. Not only is it written in the holy book, but it doesn't look nice as well. Haha. And yeah, don't STEAL and don't BEAT UP the driver as well. That's a big no-no in day-to-day driving. Not only that, your local law enforcement people might be more than willing to help you get reminded by that. 

Next, try not to carry any armed weapons when driving. Not only is it distracting, it's also deadly. Not only would you be tempted to do any drive-bys, but also, you'd be causing a lot of noise as well. Heh, again, your local law enforcement authorities might again be EVEN MORE WILLING to talk to you about that. 

Haha. And oh yeah, you might also get tempted to be blastin' on that inconsiderate driver who keeps on talking trash at you. Remember, patience and kindness is at the heart of the well-respected driver.

See? We ARE learning a lot from Grand Theft Auto. I can't imagine why people don't like that game. Drivers could learn a lot from that kick ass video game.

Hmmm... what else can we learn from GTA? Well, we should respect the speed limit. Alright, driving games were made so people could let their inhibitions loose. So they could experience what it feels like to live on the wild side. But hey, in the real world--things aren't like that. that's why there's a law on speed limits. They're there not to hinder you, but to protect you as well as other drivers. So keep that eye on the meter.

Alright, now that's clear. What else? I've read an article saying that playing video games saved his life. Alright, maybe i can agree with that. After all, playing video games for quite some time already enhances your hand to eye coordination. Which means that your reflexes would also improve. Which also means that you MAY (READ: MAY) react better in the real world as you did in the gaming world.

Okay, this article might be straying a bit. But i guess we've scratched the surface on what we can learn with GTA. After all, it's a game about a bad guy turned good. and we all want to be like that, don't we? Anyway, if you are mature enough, you'd get the point that you should'nt be doing what those characters do in the game right?

Right?

Right?

Alright.

And oh. You do know what satire is. Don't you?

 

Okay, I've already made this article way before. And i'm a bit sorry coz i just posted it right now. But hey, don't you worry. I'll try my best not only to inform you on things--but also do it in an entertaining way.

Hmmm...

Okay.

So what am I going to write about?

Alright, to be honest, writing about car tips, news, and reviews bores me a little. I mean, there are a lot of other sites that showcase such things. Also, there are even a lot more sites that have an AUTHORITATIVE view on cars and auto parts. But hey, this blog was made that way. So I guess I better write about something.

Something....

Something...

Okay, remember that Drinking and Driving article I wrote a while back? Well, talk about coincidence. A friend of mine got arrested for Driving Under Influence (what the police call: DUI) a few days ago. I was just told recently that my friend wasn't able to pass that alcohol test once the police-man-guy-sir administered to him.

Alright, that was quite a coincidence wasn't it? I mean, more and more people get arrested or at least be pulled-over by the police for that. I dunno, maybe it's because of the easy-access we have for alcohol, or is it because we really like to have fun? Well, yeah, i guess we do. But that doesn't mean we don't have to be responsible for our actions.

As said in my previous article, drinking and driving don't mix. They never do. And never will. I've experienced that. The hazy eye reflexes, the numbness, that weird throwing-up feeling. Everything. It's not that great after all. It ain't even close to being great when you have to drive yourself home. Yet it would be really far from great if the police was able to spot you driving drunk---and naked.

Hmmm... maybe these two topics mean so much to me. Back in college, me and my closest friends used to drink a lot--and drive a lot. I really am thankful that nothing bad really happened to us. Except for the parts when we used to throw up macaroni and cheese on the curb; or that time when we had to stop over to some abandoned parking lot just to get some sleep; or that time when we were so drunk that we didn't even bother driving at all and just leaving our car somewhere on the road.

Yeah, those were the days.

We were young. And stupid. As they say.

But still, I, for one, have learned about that. Now that I am much older, I guess I'm more responsible for myself and for those people around me. I don't drink like a trucks' fuel tank anymore. Nor do I go mixing those two together. One or two bottles of beer is alright for me now. Now don't call me a P*ssy, coz i'm not. But then again, so what? Least I'm alright and content by now.

Oh. Okay. It looks like I've just poured all my thoughts and feelings here in this blog. I hope you learned something here, coz, looking back at my life, i really believed i learned something. Not justfrom the good things, but the bad as well. (I wouldn't divulge everything here of course hahahaha). Still, it's true that you learn life's greatest lessons once you've already finished experiencing them. Yet still again, these are lessons we should live by.

So, again, when it comes to drinking and driving. Make sure you know your limits---and your friends as well. And don't go mad at the police officer, he's not the one who's drunk anyway. And oh, you don't want to be hit by that stun gun don't you? IT HURTS LIKE HELL.

First of all. Don't do it.But admit it. There was this one time...

This one time...

That you had to do it.

Had fun? I bet you did.

Haha.

Okay, this time, since we've been focusing too much on your car's performance and all that--this time--we're gonna do something different. We'll talk about the driver himself (or herself). So that's why our topic for today is about how to take care of the driver. And that means you.

Now that we're clear about that. Let's head to the topic at hand.

Drinking and driving. Again, you shouldn't combine the two on the same night--especially if you've got people with you in your car. But then, sometimes, sh*t do happen. And when it hits the fan, at least you've got some basic ideas on what to do when you go drunk driving.

Before that, let's start with some tips on drinking.

First, you shouldn't drink with an empty stomach. I know, eating and drinking afterwards would make your calorie count sky rocket, but hey, at least it helps you stay alert. You see, when you eat--there's enough material inside your stomach that could lessen the impact of alcohol in your system. Now I am no doctor, but with my experience, I'm quite sure that eating before drinking really does help you stay in composure after you go on a drinking spree.

Also, avoid drinking if you just took some medications. Not only will it null your meds' effects, sometimes the medicine can hasten the feeling of drowsiness or nausea after you drank your liquor. Yeah, instead of driving, you'd be sleeping on the curb.

Next, try to know your tolerance level. But, i must admit, it's kind of hard to know how much you can take once the fun starts. Still, once you feel that your eye movement seems to be hazy, and that you can't register much visual information, my advice to you is to slow down a bit.

You could do this by drinking a lot of non-alcoholic fluids after every drink. If you've just finished a bottle of beer, slow down a bit, try drinking a glass of water. And oh, did you know that to avoid getting drunk, you'd have to drink only one shot of liquor for each hour? In the real world, that seems to be less likely to happen--very less likely. But still, try to approximate your shots accordingly.

And now comes the post-party situation.

Okay, first of all. If there's someone who didn't drink, and knows how to drive, then he has shotgun over the driver's wheel. But then again, if you ARE the only one who knows how to steel that wheel--or worse--if you ARE driving alone, then try to stabilize your system first.

Now, after drinking, go grab some non-alcoholic drinks again. Drink as much water as you can. Your body needs to replenish its fluids so it could work properly--so you could get home safely. Not only that, it might also lessen the impact of alcohol in your system. So drink up. And if you can find one, grab a gatorade. Energy drinks have this thing called electrolyte. As they say, this electrolyte thing not only replenishes your bodily fluids, it does it at a faster rate.

Although it may sound like a great idea, gulping coffee right after drinking would only dehydrate you. Though I'm not sure how it would affect you if you drink alcohol, then coffee, then gatorade...

It would probably make your system go haywire.

Well, if all else fails, sleep in your car. Just remember to pack some clothes before you go drinking.

Hey, I’m back. It’s been what, a few weeks since my last post? I know it’s kind of late, but I just have to talk about Batman’s tank—I mean—car. Yeah, it’s been out there for quite a while now—two movies to be exact. However, I just wanted to write something about a vehicle that’s so cool. And now, since the Dark Knight was already out, the Tumbler’s gotten way cooler coz it comes with a built-in motorcycle. But first, let’s rewind a bit. Back in the first movie, I thought Batman’s car would still be called the Bat-mobile. But apparently, writer and director Nolan changed its name to “the Tumbler”. Personally, the name “Tumbler” doesn’t sound so appealing to me. I mean, if someone says to me “Hey, check out my new tumbler!” then I’d already be thinking of a toy for a five year old kid. But hey, the name really is an understatement. Admit it, the first time you’ve seen the damn thing, you couldn’t believe that Nolan named it as such. It’s like naming your bad-ass pitbull “Li’lSofie”—a complete understatement. Anyway, I forgot to do some research about it during the first movie, so I decided to do a little just so I could catch up. For those car fanatics, here are the specs: • 2.5 tons • 9 feet 4 inches wide • 15 feet long • HOOSIER racetrack tires on front • 4 Rear 44 inch SUPER SWAMPERS, a our wheel drive conversion component • Jet burner in rear with vector controls for the jet • Backend flaps for quick stops • Landing Hook • Enabled with front-firing machine guns • Built-in safety link for petrol control • Built-in fire extinguisher system • Front wheels on bolted arms for an axel-less front end • Conventional single axel rear end Now that's a lot of specs. But what it really means is that this is one Bad-ass Tank---i mean--car. But basically it's just another Hummer dressed up as a tank. Still, who wouldn't argue that this is one hell of a ride? I mean, yeah, I for one would like to own this baby. I'm just hoping it wouldn't drink gas as much as I could drink coffee. I’ve heard that this guy named Bob Dullam made his own version of the vehicle—good for him—but I don’t think there’s any Tumblers there that are out there for sale. And oh yeah, he’s planning to install a Batpod inside his own Tumbler too. Now that’s that on the Tumbler. Next time I’d be posting another on Bruce Wayne’s other toy—no, not Rachel—she’s already dead (lol, sorry for spoiling—but shame on you if you haven’t watched the movie yet). I’m talking about his Batpod. That 2-wheeled piece of artillery of his.