25CentLife.com

Can I just add that I hate the keyboard here? Bear with my typos.

I’m a bit sore, and I forgot my paper journal with all the things I had intended to write out here. The source of my soreness can most likely be traced back to Bikram yoga yesterday. Up until then, I have never seen myself really sweat, till I tried this out. Okay, I’m a lot sore, but I’m trying to be tee-arts (I have no clue if I’m spelling that right) and not try to let it bother me. A sequence of the same 26 poses in 90 minutes in a super hot room (85F, I was told) with 60% humidity. I can see how it would also be cardio (believe it or not), especially having done it. I got light-headed a few times, but I’d definitely do it again (considering I’m enrolled in the beginners intro package, where I have to go to 3 classes in one week)> I go with my cousin, so it’s definitely not suffering alone.

A day and a half full of activities and that’s all I can come up with? It was definitely the most… notable activity of the day. Without a doubt. More yoga tomorrow and Friday. Cebu over the weekend (yay! beach!). Going out with my mother’s friend’s children (reportedly the best clubs in the country) on Thursday. And that’s all I know so far.

Time to head to the mall.

You’d think that after spending a bit more than 15 hrs (yes, when we finally boarded, the in-flight info program said it was 14h 59m — which, including taxiing and take off and landing is more than 15 hrs) on a plane I would be more welcoming to stand on my own two legs. Which is where I am now. At one of the free Internet standing room only areas in the HK Airport. I’m starting hour 3 of my 8 hr stopover before the connecting flight to Manila.

And I’ve seen at least 5 other flights leaving for Manila in the last 3 hrs. Why such a long stopover? We think it has something to do with our free ticket (read: frequent flier miles) standing. No freakin room. Gotta pick from what’s available. And it has resulted in a rather ill-timed stopover for 8 hrs. Why ill-timed? With all the awesome food offerings… I have little desire to try any of them. Why? We got here at 1am NY time. 2pm HK time. It’s now 4a NY time (5p HK time). I won’t have any desire to eat for at least another 5 hrs. Which is about the time we should be at the gate and ready to board. Again. For a significantly shorter flight. Thank god.

I like Cathay Pacific Airlines. And their in-flight entertainment. A lot has changed since the last time I’ve been on a plane (2004). In flight movies? Finally, we can pick and choose. And in-flight games. And TV shows. And all the radio playlists + CDs to choose from. And thank god for international flying. I don’t have to pay for anything. Like I did when I flew Delta back in November. Seriously 5$ for a “meal” that didn’t even have all its parts due to the screwup with their caterer.

But that’s not an issue (nor was I paid to name drop in the paragraph above).

I’m going to contemplate what I can pick up between my cushy orange seat in the airport and the gate… to anticipate what I might eat on the plane later. I wouldn’t mind Aji Ichiban. I like that store. Japanese? Chinese? Congee? ChowKing? (Oh wait, that’s Filipino)

Cathay’s food selection is quite yummy. And they get all the thumbs up in my book for offering Cup o Noodles as a SNACK. And it’s not the super salty kind I get at the supermarket @ home. It’s got chunks of pork and scrambled egg and is very mildly flavored. I’m totally in love with them for that.

And I got a kick out of the sanitizer (think Purell) dispenser in the toilet stalls to disinfect the toilet seat with. That’s just awesome. Like beyond awesome. You can sanitize your toilet seat to your heart’s content (and satisfaction) before you go. That’s just so considerate!

I’ve got to go and be more considerate to my knees now. Next time you hear from me — I’ll be in the Philippines!

By the way, temperature when we left NY = 47 F. Temperature when we arrived HK = 68 F. Awesome.

Well. I have a theme. That’s one step closer. My sidebar isn’t ready yet — but that’s not the point.

I’m off to the Philippines (or at least on my way to the airport in a few hours)! I’ll be back February 3. What I hope to do is post quasi-regularly from there. Hello little travel blog.

I’ve always kept written journals for every trip I’ve had there (save for the first one). Now it’s time to put pen to… well, keyboard, and have an online record of my vacation.

I’m still not completely done packing (typical), but once I get on the plane and have nothing else to do (besides eat, and sleep, and play solitaire) I’ll be writing. Then when I get access, obviously, I’ll be attempting to post, assuming I remember what my login is.

Always fun.

Happily, after the JFK to HK leg (nice 14 hr flight) and after the HK to Manila leg (not as long as the one first one, thank god)… I’ll be in warmer weather, and more inclined to type a lot. Rather than this half-frozen state I’m in now.

Anyway, I’ll finish up here, and next time I post — I’ll be in Asia! Yay!

Oh, I also forgot to mention. I’m bringing my stuffed puffin with me –> Adventures of the Puffin in Asia. Pictures to come later. Depending on the tech situation either as it happens or when I get back.

When I have this phenomenal idea for a post (it had something to do with my recent return to exercise)… and then I get to the computer, and the internet’s gone out.

Of course, in the 10 minutes it takes me to get the thing back online — post? Lost.

Gym. New Years Resolutions/Excuses. General health. Something to do with food. Anthony Bourdain — his show is one of the best ideas for a job EVER.

I’m sure it will come back to me. I always have a ton to talk about.

Side note on the themes — still haven’t managed to pick one out yet. Curses.

So I guess all that federal mumbo-jumbo about not being able to copy media (like a VHS tape or a DVD or a CD) for profit — but doing so for personal use was okay — is now totally out the window. Just saw a story on FOX News (but I also read the Washington Post and Wired articles as well) about how the RIAA is contemplating suing anyone whose ever ripped a CD — because you’re basically… stealing from yourself?!

Alright. How does this make sense? Way back when (from my memory, the last time I bought a CDwas whenever Kelly Clarkson’s 2nd cd came out or Green Day’s American Idiot came out (pick the one that was more recent). October something. I didn’t get my first iPod till a few months after that… and until I got a solid internet connection and started getting all my music through iTunes — I was happily copying my CDs into my iPod. I paid for those CDs. So, since they were all for MY USE ONLY. Emphasis on the word ‘my’. I’m sure everyone else who got that first iPod did the same thing with their own music collections.

Apparently to these RIAA folks, copying/burning a CD equals stealing. So, they’re saying that copying a CD for yourself equals stealing…for yourself? WTH.

I understand how burning a CD/DVD and selling it on the streets of Chinatown is construed as wrong. Because that’s for profit, and that’s why they put that funky coding on the iTunes songs so that only an ‘authorized’ iPod/user can play those particular songs on a particular machine. I get that. Same with the first incarnation of the Zune — you can only transfer the songs 3x… but I forget what happened next.

Here’s a blurb from the FOX News page to mull over, while I get the other links:

The RIAA’s own Web site is more conciliatory, but implies that the organization reserves the right to go after music “rippers” should it change its mind.

“If you make unauthorized copies of copyrighted music recordings … you could be held legally liable for thousands of dollars in damages,” it plainly states before adding that “transferring a copy onto your computer hard drive or your portable music player won’t usually raise concerns so long as the copy is made from an authorized original CD that you legitimately own [or] the copy is just for your personal use.”

However, Schwartz isn’t the only RIAA bigwig who’s recently implied that those concerns may be raised more often.

Copying a song you’ve paid for in CD form is “a nice way of saying ’steals just one copy,’” Sony BMG top lawyer Jennifer Pariser testified during cross-examination in the Jammie Thomas case in early October.

Jennifer Pariser just perpetuates one of the many reasons of why we rip on lawyers so much. Good one Jenny, like you’ve NEVER taped a song from the radio or something slightly illegal like that.

Here’s a little something from the Washington Post:

In legal documents in its federal case against Jeffrey Howell, a Scottsdale, Ariz., man who kept a collection of about 2,000 music recordings on his personal computer, the industry maintains that it is illegal for someone who has legally purchased a CD to transfer that music into his computer.

The industry’s lawyer in the case, Ira Schwartz, argues in a brief filed earlier this month that the MP3 files Howell made on his computer from legally bought CDs are “unauthorized copies” of copyrighted recordings.

“I couldn’t believe it when I read that,” says Ray Beckerman, a New York lawyer who represents six clients who have been sued by the RIAA. “The basic principle in the law is that you have to distribute actual physical copies to be guilty of violating copyright. But recently, the industry has been going around saying that even a personal copy on your computer is a violation.”

And lastly, a chuckle from Wired:

I tried to call the RIAA for clarification, but their phone system, like the record label’s business model, is stuck in the early 80s. There’s no voicemail — not even an answering machine — for their press contacts. The phone just rings out.

It just occurred to me — next thing they’ll be whining about is OMG u guyz kant evin by a CD noe moarz bc u mite playe itt n toher pplz mite lissten 2 itt&toher pplz willl steelz da noisez!! ONOES!

Geez.

I hate this layout. I have been looking through WP layouts/themes for 2 days. 100+ pages, hundreds of different themes, a mind-boggling variety of column widths, number of columns, colors, font sizes, font colors…etc… Dare I say it, finding a suitable LiveJournal layout after the service was bought up by that Russian-based company was easier than finding a theme for this site.

It’s embarassing, having to post on here without a definitive identity. It’s embarassing, it’s frustrating — and I really hate saying this — but my current WP default is much better than anything else I’ve clicked on ‘test run’ for so far. It’s so… BLAH. And boring. And default… and just has zero personality.

This theme is the same theme used for I don’t know how many other splogs. Yuck. I know I’ll end up doing something custom-made long after this official launch — but, come on, is it really that hard to find something usable?!

Back to my searching. Once I officially launch, I’m going to make use of this ‘Tags’ text field…

I have too many blogs. I have a smattering of private ones. One or two public ones. I even had a corporate one for a time… I’m not sure what’s become of that one.

2008 brings my own domain (finally!). With another blog. Usually, people’s blogs have a focus. What’s mine? Anything I can pull from my brain, I guess. I talk a lot. Might as well put it somewhere.

Right now, I’m still recovering from Christmas (if you can believe that)… Too much food, too many places to go, just too much all at once. The party started at my house — Christmas eve… and we just kept going till the next day.

New Years was a bit more reserved — just as much food. Only one place to be (uncle’s place). Maybe I’m getting too old. But seriously, I don’t get what the big deal is about getting crazy drunk on New Years. Maybe it’s my belief that the way you spend New Years is the way you spend the rest of your year. I’m perfectly happy spending it with family (and my boyfriend). Nice, chill, and relaxing.

At any rate, time to do more work on this — I refuse to work a blog that has WordPress’ default theme on it! I’ll let people know when I finally officially launch.