Well to answer questions in a sweeping fashion, I reply in blog.

Yes, we are going home, to a place we've always called home. In fact, I'm looking forward to a teaching position in a local university (no, not Los Banos) and already wondering about how *bad* traffic really has become.

To add to all that suspense, there's reason for me to get more anxious: there are so many things here in Philly that I take for granted that will be very different in Manila. For one, safe and punctual public transport. I can't imagine commuting in Manila, but by the looks of it, I will be (it actually *is* much easier compared to driving, at least for my prospective teaching appointment).

Another is mass media. Okay, that's shallow, but to wean me off Sportscenter, House (the best hour in television) and The Gilmore Girls (yes, I watch) is a very difficult thing to do. Then there's magazine subscriptions (New Yorker and Macworld) and all the other junk in cable (Best Week Ever, The Real World) that I won't have easy access to.

Finally, believe it or not, I'm going to miss "ghetto". Now, that's not a derogatory term, and you know this if you're from Philly. "Ghetto" is not just a style, although it arguably is, but it's a lifestyle. You talk "ghetto" (insert expletive here), you dress "ghetto" (big earrings with whole first names stenciled), you walk ghetto (one pant leg up, coats three sizes too large, white tank top fondly called "wifebeaters"), you drive "ghetto" (30" rims) and you, well, eat "ghetto" (fried chicken, donuts).

I say all this with a lot of fondness for this subculture, but I'm no anthropologist, so I can't really make useful observations. Besides, I'm a 32 year old Asian, so I'd look like a poser with all that bling and a big Carmelo Anthony jersey on my back. What I do know is that I'll miss being surrounded by it, fascinated by it, and it's as much a part of my Philly experience as transit strikes and the Parkway.

Posted by Bulletproofvest at 02:52 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)
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Saying goodbye to friends, colleagues and my students is harder than I thought. I know it's going to hit me some time, usually the day before I actually leave or that minute I look back at the plane lifting off, that I may never see these people again. And, to use my student's words, "that blows."

Then there's everything else: the buildings, the Schuykill, the falling leaves, the buses and the clear blue sky. Walking around Rittenhouse Square yesterday I turned around and looked back at the Liberty Plaza, blue and steel piercing the sky. I got a bit misty -- listening to Damien Rice didn't help.

Still sorting it out, but I do know this: at least George W. Bush isn't the leader of that country.

Posted by Bulletproofvest at 08:53 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
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Nikon, the camera people not the electric fan people, has an excellent gallery of things that are hard to see.

Michael Slack is one of my favorite editorial illustrator. I found his site, filled with other beautiful work, like illustrations for children's books, random sketches, and animated shorts. Check it out here.

Finally, if you liked Barney versus Tupac, this might tickle too.

Posted by Bulletproofvest at 08:22 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
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Please watch it at least twice: these guys have definitely reached cult status, and that includes props for the guy in the back playing Counterstrike.

Posted by Bulletproofvest at 07:23 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
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Then, there are the changes at CNN, which has axed the sleazebag know-it-all named Aaron, and given Cooper -- a media-acknowledged gay rod -- a primetime slot and more hours. Advertisers should be happily taking their dollars off Will and Grace. Cooper's cute, Brown has a comb over and Jack is getting really annoying.

Finally, there's elven erotic art. Fans of Orlando Bloom, who as Legolas looked prettier than the average woman, will find this quite disturbing. Meanwhile, Hugo Weaving is quite at home.

Posted by Bulletproofvest at 08:33 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
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The championship for RPS was recently concluded, commissioned by the World RPS Society (who else?).

If you don't know how to play it (good God!), here are some basic rules. For more advanced players, you can learn some mad skillz like The Crescendo, or the Avalanche (which is rock-rock-rock, of course). There's even an online trainer if you want to practice your RPS skills.

And, if that isn't enough education, check out the Official RPS Strategy Guide.

Posted by Bulletproofvest at 08:38 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
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Disappearing pink dots. (Proof that Lindsay Lohan isn't really thin?)

Some really cool pictures taken by people throwing their cameras in the air.

And, the ancient art of rock balancing.

Posted by Bulletproofvest at 09:34 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
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