noel alanguilan

i am usually wary about upgrading to a new major version of a software program. any software program. in wordpress 2.5, which was released 29th march, my view has not changed. i have become naturally paranoid (thanks, in part, to microsoft) of any major software updates — current plugins may not work or the modified theme may get messed up a bit.

so when version 2.5.1 came out last april 25 i knew it was time to upgrade the test blogs and eventually the rest of the bunch.

but before taking the plunge, make sure that you visit the wp forums often to see what problems other people have encountered and if there are solutions for it. forewarned. forearmed.

for reasons that are almost entirely my fault, i could not join the 10th tour of fireflies. i was under the weather — of sorts. fortunately, other pinoy roadies were there and they took a handful of pictures!

i wish i could’ve attended the event but maybe next year. i even went to san pablo the week before that event to fetch my bike.

ah well, c’est la vie.

hardy heron — officially known as ubuntu 8.04 lts — was released april 24. “lts” versions of ubuntu enjoy long term support — 3 years for the desktop version and 5 years for the server version.

i tried upgrading online on the 24th but i guess the servers were pretty busy.

persistence leads to downloading of new packages — 1180 of them. this took a while.

and the installation starts…

and finally, i got ubuntu 8.04 lts up and running.

yey!

that my heart is actually in good condition. it was the cholesterol and slightly elevated blood pressure (140/90).

that getting confined for a week in a hospital is a great way to start the “i quit smoking” plan. going on 10 days already. i’m getting there.

that there is such a thing as a stroke in evolution.

that life goes on. people will give pause but life goes on regardless.

that i don’t have to give up chocolates as long as i stick to the dark kind (thanks to christine for this tidbit).

that i can still bike but that’ll come later. there is hope (al. felix. bohol. 2009.)

that as the days pass it gets easier for my body to follow my brain.

that maybe i should take up yoga (berta’s suggestion).

that medicard philippines was not able to help me in my hospital bills even though it was an emergency in a “medicard-accredited” hospital. zilch. nada. nothing. your mileage with medicard philippines may vary but philhealth was a lot more helpful to me. don’t get me wrong. medicard was useful for that yearly physical but not for my emergency case.

my first happened on the morning of april 10. there was this unusual ringing in my right ear and almost immediately after my knees turned into mush and room started to spin. i was able to sit down on a stool, lean on a wall and felt a cold sweat coming on. waves of dizziness accompanied by nausea poured in and i started to barf my guts out. at this point i was lying down on the floor already — trying to hold on to the floor with eyes closed and trying hard to convince myself that the room wasn’t actually spinning. i was on the floor for the rest of the afternoon. i was able to crawl to bed in the evening.

friday, april 11 was spent mostly in bed. sleeping. i wasn’t able to eat any meal but i was able to take in fluids. thankfully, the dizziness has mostly dissipated. the following two days were totally better and i started improving. i was moving about, doing some chores and some work. the appetite is up as well. and monday, the 14th of april, i was even able to drive a short distance. but tuesday, the 15th of april is the day i am seeing an ear doctor. i had a suspicion that what happened to

the second one came while i was waiting for my turn at the ear doctor’s clinic. i was seated when that familiar ringing in my right ear came. i suddenly broke into a cold sweat. i closed my eyes and braced myself for the dizziness and nausea.

everything seems a blur from that point. i remember being transferred to a wheelchair, moved to the doctor’s clinic, the doctor deciding on confinement, wheeled out to a taxi and then driven to the emergency wing of manila doctor’s hospital.

i got discharged april 21 — seven days in manila doctors hospital. i’ll put in more entries about my confinement another time when i get the extra time for it.

for those that do not know, cerebrovascular accident is the medical term for a stroke.

from the pinoy roadies forum:

the Tour of the Fireflies (ToF) is an annual 50-km bicycle ride through seven cities to promote the use of the bicycle as an alternative means of transportation that is cheap, efficient, environmentally sensible and good for one’s health.

This year, synchronized bicycle rides in Cagayan de Oro, Bacolod, Baguio, and Tarlac are being organized by supporters to drum up more support for sustainable transportation and livable communities.

When: April 20, 2008, SUNDAY; Early registration starts at 5.30 am

Start: 7.00 am
End: 12.00 nn - Short awarding ceremonies follow

Where: in manila, the tour Starts and end at Tiendesitas, Pasig
The colorful mardi gras on wheels for clean air will go through through the cities of: Pasig, Mandaluyong, Makati, Pasay, Manila, Quezon City, Marikina.

Registration:
php 50 peso donation serves as registration fee
php 200 reg fee w/ Tour Shirt
php 350 reg fee w/ Jersey
php 500 reg fee w/ Tour Shirt & Jersey

Kindly bring your registration stub on April 20 to make you eligible for Tour Day Fun Raffle and Surprises!

PRE-Registration: April 1-12, Saturday, 5 pm (Pre-registration in Bike Shops listed below)
On-site PRE-Registration: April 19, Saturday, 10 am - 4 pm at TIENDESITAS
On-site Registration: April 20, Saturday, 5:30 am - 7 am at TIENDESITAS

Note: Children below 13 should be accompanied by an adult.

10th Tour of the Fireflies Registration Form is available online at the firefly brigade site.

Pre-registration Centers:

1. All Terra - Club 650, E. Rodriguez Jr. Avenue, Libis, QC - Tel. 638-2075
2. Bike Town Cyclery - 2240 Chino Roces Avenue, Makati - Tel. 387-2173
3. Bombproof Gear - 3rd Level, West Lane, Robinson’s Galleria, Pasig - Tel. 634-1760
4. Cycle Shack - SM Megamall, Lower Ground Floor, Mandaluyong - Tel. 687-4504
5. Cycle Shack - SM SouthMall, Lower Ground Floor, Las Piñas - Tel. 802-1769
6. Dirt Dawg Bike Shop - 13 Visayas Avenue, VASRA, QC - Tel. 928-0962
7. Extreme Bike Shop - 88 Panay Avenue, South Triangle, QC - Tel. 373-7100
8. Gran Trails - 401-B West Gate, Filinvest, Alabang, Muntinlupa - Tel. 772-1225
9. Joven - Amang Rodriguez Avenue, Santolan, Pasig - Tel. 645-6029
10. King’s Bike Shop - 622 Quezon Boulevard, Quiapo, Manila - Tel. 734-0052/734-0069
11. Newton Multi-Sales - 689 Del Monte Avenue, QC - Tel.731-4495
12. Power Bikes - 38 Rockwell Drive, Makati City - Tel. 898-0377/898-1536
13. Ross Cycle Center - 2195 Leveriza Street, Cartimar, Pasay - Tel. 832-7478
14. Speedy Bagal Bikes - 21 Kamias Road, QC - Tel. 0920-9115872
15. BrightMinds Tutorial Center - 169 Kamias Road, QC - Tel.922-5616

Organizers: Firefly Brigade and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources in cooperation with Tiendesitas, MMDA, Philippine National Police and the Local Government Units of participating cities

Co-presented by: Firefly Lighting

Major Sponsor: Spyder Optics

Media Partners: Philippine Daily Inquirer, Men’s Health Magazine, THE RADIO PARTNERS, Ad Farm Audio Productions, Campaigns Social Response, 99.5 HIT FM, MAXFM 103.5, WAVE 89.1, JAM 88.3,
MAGIC 89.9

Also supported by: 7-eleven, Ericsson, Deuter, Aktivade, Julie’s Bakeshop Nueve de Pebrero, Unilever, Targa Communications and Aeromed

from the philippine cycling network:

The Chairman of the PTFCC, Hon. Angelo Reyes, and the Mayors of Manila, Pasay and Parañaque will turn off a giant switch to signal the start of the “lights off” at 8pm. We are hoping to have the fire brigade sirens to signal the beginning and end of Earth Hour as well.

The Firefly Brigade and all other bikers will be there to help in creating a festive vibe, grab the attention of passer-bys and encourage participation of establishments along the stretch of Roxas Boulevard . The Firefly Brigade will bike along the stretch of Roxas Boulevard, from Manila to Parañaque, from 7 to 8 pm holding Earth Hour flags and tarps and making reminder announcements over the megaphone about switching off lights for EarthHour from 8 to 9 pm. During the actual lights off from 8 to 9 pm, the firefly brigade can bike around the CCP lawn with blinking lights or glow in
the dark.

We are also happy to involve the Firefly Brigade in Earth Hour as this has an added benefit of highlighting the fun of non motorized forms of travel.

WHERE: CCP Lawn (in front of the Fountain)
WHEN: March 29, Saturday 6:30pm-9:00pm

THINGS TO BRING:
bikes (of course), helmets (for safety), water (hydration), snacks (for energy), lots of lights and blinkers, friends, smiles, laughter and a love for biking.

i’m not sure if i can go though. let’s see if i can drag the girlfriend and son along.

bike messenger and inline skater play tag in the streets of london. awesome cut!

staind - so far away

he turned 10 today. two digits. i hate to make it sound like a cliché but time do fly. a decade ago he was born premature — seven months and 3.75 pounds. now, he weighs almost 80 pounds. hopefully, one of these days, i’ll find him taller than me.

another decade and he’ll be finished studying. and i’m sure time will also fly in the coming 10 years.

but today, he got the gift he wanted — virtue of mobile suit gundam 00 (japanese site). he also wanted exia but that sold out pretty quickly. ah well, next time.

that picture was taken last christmas in school. those other people are not real. i’m not sure if they’re made of paper maché.