[IRL #10] I'm 18! Yay!

What is up people?

Wow it has been a full month since I last updated this blog of mine. I'm sure y'all understand how busy I am with my studies, and "side projects" with the band. I hope that's a good enough excuse for some of the serious followers of the blog. Anyhow, Last time, I promised I would post a video of us participating in this departmental "Battle of the Bands". Actually, it was long over, in fact, it was in August, and we ended up winning nothing. At least we showed the audience some justice for their presence there on such a hot venue!

Enough chit chat, on with the vid!

I'm the one with the blue strapped guitar. The one on the right. Yeah, I can get excited sometimes.
Oh and it doesn't end there. After that, we things have gotten really busy. A week after our performance, we got encouraged to join another "Battle of the Bands", but this time, it was an open contest. We competed against the best bands from all over our locality. It was never easy to pass the screening, as 26 bands auditioned, and only 12 of us passed. The sad thing is, the organizers fined even those ones who did not get passed the screening. It's such a sad system. So, we did our best on stage, and again, we ended up with NOTHING. Nah, it's a no biggie for me, because all I wanted for the band is the exposure it gets, even when it means we are sure to be at loss. Although we are fated to lose in the judges' decisions, the audience's judgement still matters in the long run. We captured our performance on video, but I was not still able to upload it on the net. I'll update this blog once it's on!

Anyhow, enough with all the band talk, yesterday was my 18th birthday! Yay!

This time, it's not a lie!
You all know how it all turned out, we had a small jamming session here at the so-called "Countershot HQ", we had drinks, at it was all fun! I can still hear the phantom sounds in my ear! If you're exposed to too much noise for long periods of time, you'll get what I mean.

Also, the first episode for My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Season 2 aired on the same date as my birthday. Such a wonderful coincidence, as I am an avid watcher of the show!

I know, It's AWESOME!
And also ALSO, My dad bought me a bass guitar and a bass amp as a birthday present for me! YAY! I really appreciate it, although I do not know how to play it, as I only play basic rhythm and lead. So basically, I think we are complete with musical instruments here at home, we got a drum kit, a bass guitar, and electric guitar, amps, and a keyboard. Those things comprises the Countershot HQ I was talking about earlier.

By the way, I called it Countershot HQ because, our band's name is Countershot. That's basically it!

In the next blog entry, I will post our latest performance in Battle of the Bands (U-Rock 2011), the pic of our HQ, aka Garage, and the pic of my new bass guitar and amp.

External Links / BONUS!
Here's our Youtube channel, I'm the page owner of it, feel free to comment! (although probably you won't understand a thing in some of our performances, because of the difference in language!)
www.youtube.com/countershotband

Because MLP:FiM Season 2 is out, let me share this one. Comment, if you can relate!
D3N00B1F13D - My Little Rocky by D3N00B1F13D

Peace!

[IRL #9] BotB

Hey guys!
Sorry if you have noticed that there is a lack of updates to this blog for the past week, or so. That's just because I'm kinda busy at the real world and stuff.

Ok, so this past week, I have been busy practicing with my band for this upcoming "Battle of The Bands" event in our University. Basically, it's really like a talent show, well except, you got an opportunity to showcase your talents in playing musical instruments found in a basic band. So there's six of us, 2 of us on guitar, 1 on drums, 1 on vocals (and a girl too), 1 on bass, and our new member on the keyboard.

The requirement was to prepare 2 songs, a maximum of 10 minutes of duration, but there was a catch. One song must be under the Rock genre, and the other pop / party / autotune crap. I was okay with the Rock one, but I was devastated to hear about the party one. I find it really boring to play just 4 repetitive chords in a monotonous sequence for the whole entire song!

We only had like 4 practice sections so far, averaging 1.5 hours per session . All I can say is, I love this band! I really saw the improvement we had since the last time we played altogether onstage 1 year ago.

So last Saturday, 4 of our members (the keyboardist and I were not around that time) went to the organizers because we were called for a meeting. Guess what? We were informed that we have like 17 opponents, and we are the second one to perform, out of this 17! Darn it. There goes our hopes. We usually end up performing near the last few performers, but this time, we are the ones who will be performing first! This is usually a bad sign for us, because the lazy judges will eventually forget the awesomeness of our performance, and rate us low just because they find the next one funny as compared to awesome. Hello judges! This isn't a comedy show!

Well, enough ranting. We sure do hope we get the first place this time. Last time, we were just second because of a mere 3 point difference. 3 POINT DIFFERENCE FOR GOODNESS SAKES!

Oh by the way, our band will perform this Friday, and I'll hope I will have the opportunity to upload some pictures of it, if possible, videos of the said performance.

Wish us luck!

[IRL #8] AR-OH-EF-EL

Wow, It has been a while since I last posted an IRL entry in this blog. So let's make this the first one this July!

Last Friday was officially the end of the Prelim Semester in our university. So as a tradition, my friends and I decided to have some fun, since there are no studies to worry about, no projects to catch up, etc! And by fun, I mean grab some drinks.

We met up at BattleStation 1, at around 5 in the afternoon, waited for some people to come join us, and arrived at a friend's house at six. As far as I can remember, there were 14 of us who went there, and hell, it was fun, considering this friend of mine is a guitarist / musician, so there is no reason to be bored at all!

Oh and don't you pretend that you don't know what happened next. I'll post some pictures. I know that they'll be pissed if they found out that I posted the pics here. Nah! By the way, these pics are taken at late night, so you won't see all 14 of us here. By the time I decided to document this, There were only like 6 of us left. Enjoy!

DRUMSET VIEW

NOW I'M ON THE FLOOR, WALKIN' THE DINOSAUR

ERRBODY'S GETTIN' TIPSY

PIC RELATED

Oh and it gets better, after all those mess in the music room, we decided to get ourselves home. But before that, we were called by our friend's cousin to hop to a nearby mini-bar, since he was already there, and the car (ticket way home) is at his disposal. He invited us for some more drinks, so why not?

PIC VERY RELATED

GG, my friends. xD
Oh, and I arrived home safely and watched some PONIES after that.

[Ownstuff #3] Greenline

Hello interwebs!

This entry is yet about another work of mine in my interest of photography!
Enough with the intro, here it is!

Click to enlarge photo

I call this the Greenline, for the fact that there IS a Santan bush making a line parallel to that wall to the left. This was taken in my quiet neighborhood last week, as I was experimenting on the white balance and camera angles. Hey, as I have said before, I am not a professional, and I'm just doing this because I love to.

As opposed to my last entry, this photo is not that dark and dull. In fact, it is bombarded by red / orange / green colors.

As you can see, it has been manipulated via Photoshop. Still figuring out how to apply those "warm" wallpaper-ish atmosphere to this photo.

Personal Comments / Remarks:
- I think I overdid the manipulation
- Red hue seems to blur those non-focused flowers
- The far right portion of the pic seems off
- Cheesy camera angle
- CREDIT FONT STILL NOT PROFESSIONAL ENOUGH!

I need some tips and tricks guys. I don't rely on tutorials much as I am better off figuring stuffs out by myself. Just simple and basic techniques will do.

What do you think guys?
Leave a comment below!

EDIT: Since the uploaded photo has reduced in quality due to compression, I am giving you guys a link to download the full quality photo.

Link: http://www.mediafire.com/?mo5cqc00chz524c

Enjoy!

[Ownstuff #2] Redness

Hello again, people!

So to all those who haven't known yet, I have created a new format for this blog named Ownstuff. Today's Friday post will be of the same format as the last one which is... Ownstuff of course, you silly twerp.

Okay, enough of those irrelevant chit-chat, and on with the post!

For the information of all, I have this DSLR Camera which I often use when I get bored, or just when I am looking for an output for my pseudo-artistic imagination. It's called the Nikon D3000, a starter-camera I am trying to play with.

Check this shot out. I shot this random plant in our backyard using the D3000 on Manual mode.

Click to enlarge photo

I call this work: "Redness"
As you can see, it's lightly manipulated using Photoshop CS3, and I know, I am doing a very bad job at mixing the colors right. Hey, I just a newbie, and I think it's all good. Besides, "beauty is in the eye of the beholder", they say.

Personal Comments/Remarks:
-I think it's too "green"!
-The credit font is not that good

So what do you think guys?
Don't worry, I'll have lots of similar works in the future. That is, if I am sure that I will have improved by then!

Feel free to share your thoughts!
I accept constructive criticism, because it helps me improve!

Also, please do suggest some fonts if you know that it will look good in photography themed projects.

All images used in the content of the blog belong to the author.

[Ownstuff #1] Scratch03

Hello world!
Today, I introduce to you a new format in addition to my blog. Give it up for Ownstuff!
I'll be taking a short break from doing reviews on my Legit Goodies format.

Ownstuff is basically a new format showcasing my creative works and projects. In other words, it will deal with entries concerning everything I made and will make in the future. Unlike Legit Goodies, everything presented here are of my property, and are affiliated to me.

Ok, I just made a Soundcloud account using the same name as my Blogger account which is D3N00B1F13D. I have done this simply because it will serve as my official host for uploading my music and related works.

So, on with the first entry!
I don't know if this will sound familiar to you. Enjoy! :D

Scratch03 by D3N00B1F13D

I've entitled it as Scratch03 for the meantime, considering it's short, and it's lacking quality mixing and other sound techniques. For the information of all, I have numerous projects prefixed as "Scratch" because I am a big procrastinator, and I never finish them for some reason.

I used Fruity Loops Studio 9 to make the looping EZDrummer sequence, and some cheap equipments to input in my guitar signal. Just added a little Delay on the guitar parts to make it more "Rainbow-ish."

Personal Comments / Remarks:
-Took me 30 minutes to do all this
-Played by memory (meaning, not played simultaneously with original song)
-I know the last part sounds off (realized after listening to the original one)

So what do you think?
Sounds familiar? xD
Just leave a comment below, and thanks for having the time to read all this!

[Legit Goods #4] Battle Station 1

'Sup guys?
As I have promised you like a week ago, I'm going to post some pics of this LAN shop called Battlestation 1. Now, if you have been in our place and have been here for quite a long time, you might notice that there are TONS of LAN shops around. For the information of all, this is the "in" business since the past decade, and will be in the next one.

About LAN shops, as I have said, there are many around here and Battlestation 1 is just one of the best ones to hang out in. And by "one of the best", I mean there are numerous chains of this shop around the city (e.g. Battlestation 7, etc...).



How the system works here (and some protips too!):

1. If you desperately want to use a PC by the time you arrive, you MUST COME EARLY OR COME AT THE TIME THE STORE OPENS SOMETIME AT 8 O'CLOCK.

[Legit Goodies #3] EpicMealTime

"We've permanently changed the cooking game." ~Harley Morenstein, EpicMealTime

If you are one of those many couch potatoes watching television all day, you might have encountered numerous cooking shows on TV networks. Some of them showcases the masterpieces of skilled chefs, while others blend to other formats to display a reality show-esque atmosphere. Fact: Almost all of them are not worth watching and boring. Screw those shows, and watch EpicMealTime!

EpicMealTime is a Canadian-based cooking show worth watching, not boring, and of course as the name suggests, EPIC! Also, it is accessed through Youtube, so you don't need to be forced to see those countless commercials in between shows.

Hey, you might be thinking why am I going to review such a show? I'm no food critic. I'm not a culinary arts master. I can't even perfect the art of cooking unburnt fried eggs. The thing is, this show was intended to be somewhat comedic in one way, at the same time, a trigger for hunger. Fact: I love comedy plus food.

Epic Meal Time

EpicMealTime, unlike the rest of those boring shows, does phenomenal and out-of-this-world masterpieces out of multiple food selections and menus. They tend to mock the ways of authentic chefs (making food using "next level cooking apparatus[es]"), and make fun of all those sanitary guidelines (cooking foods bare hands, beating eggs with fingers, etc.). Moreover, the show makes their masterpieces in epic proportions...

...literally, in EPIC proportions.

If you are either a member of PETA or a vegan, you might not consider this appealing at all. The reason being is, the show involves lots of Jack Daniel's chugging, and pig slaughtering. They almost always incorporate Jack Daniel's into their "main ingredients".

80 Proof, 40% alcohol content whiskey... Smaaart.

Also, meat, even in candy form, in every episode is inevitable since the show is famously recognized by their excessive use of bacon. In short, no bacon equals no EpicMealTime

Basically, this is what they do.

The pic above is not even the finished product. Just look at the calorie counter in that thing -- enough to feed a whole family. But wait! There's more! That does not finish there. Of course, after cooking the food, what would they do?

They present it...

...then they devour it in a gluttonously comedic fashion.

This show had achieved several milestones throughout the entire time it was active. Some of which are winning the 2011 Shorty Award in Food Category, breaking the 100,000 calorie barrier, creating the TurBaconEpic, the meat house, and filming while drunk.

Pretty much self explanatory

Pros:
Meaty Humor
Bacon Everywhere
Epic Host
Original and innovative

Cons:
Not for vegans
Inconsistent calorie counter (missing counters in some episodes)
Makes me hungry

Overall Rating: 8.8/10 in the Bacon Scale

WARNING: IF YOU ARE A VEGAN, I SUGGEST YOU TURN BACK NOW!
You can start here: Breaking the 100k calorie barrier!

BONUS!
The birth of EpicMealTime: Harley munching on some Baconators

[Announcement] 100 Followers... and counting!

Hey guys, a quick update concerning The Flock. Today, June 23, 2011, 18 days from the first entry of The Sleepless Logs, marks the day that I have gained my 100th member of The Flock (Followers).

A BIG shout out to ChickenBittle for being the 100th follower of this blog.

Again, to all of the first 100 members of the flock, I salute you! You are the only people that keep this blog alive, my motivation to keep on posting random stuffs. Again, Thank you for the support!

Check back tomorrow guys, for a [Legit Goodies] entry!

[IRL #7] Differential Migraine

Dear Princess Celes... wait... what? NO!

Damn Headache! Earlier this day I woke up with this darn migraine of some sort. I pinpointed out the cause: it was maybe because I wasn't able to get proper sleep because of that Differential Calculus thingy!

To those who may not know, I am currently taking up a Bachelor's Degree in Computer Engineering, and Differential Calculus (shortened to DifCal) is one of the three math subjects that is required to be taken by all those who wants to graduate in this course.

Ok, Back to the story. Last night I was busy trying to get more info and background about this subject "DifCal", since our professor was absent the first 2 meetings, and "rushed" the lecture on the last 2 meetings of this week. In order for us to cope up, he just left us with some exercises that we must practice to. But hey! I'm no genius, I admit that I am a bit of a slow learner, so it took me the whole midnight to search for notes. And in the end? I had made no progress that night, considering I'm dumb.

Now, it's the next day. I got no sleep, woke up 8AM in the morning, got to DifCal class on time. And what's next? More migraine! I can barely remember all those theorems taught to us in class. There are rules to be considered, and cases to be taken account of in order to solve specific problems... And that's just only the basics!

Just some of the basics I'm talking about.

Nah. There is no use ranting all of this in my blog. I just wanted to share how is it like to be in the Engineering course, and how is it like to WRITE A BLOG WHILE HAVING A DAMN MIGRAINE! Also, I promise to allocate my time wisely, especially in practicing.

STUDY IS NEVER ENOUGH! I NEED PRACTICE!

But for now, I got to sleep because I can feel my brain drying up. It's raining outside, (tropical storm heading in!) and it's the perfect time to sleep in a cold noon. I gotta be awake later at 5 o'clock for my programming class.

Until next time, people! Wish me luck so that I can get out of this course alive!

[IRL #6] An Hour and a Half

Hey people! So yesterday I was left again home alone, and since the interwebs was kinda boring, I decided to have a maintenance for my messy room. I had taken pictures of the "before" and "after" the minor makeover. The challenge was, I had to do the best I can to fix my room in just under an hour and a half.

To tell you, it was not easy to clear all those cobwebs and dust bunnies all alone! Good thing I got Mr. Vacuum Cleaner to assist me in my expedition!

Here are the "before" pics taken with a crappy phone to emphasize how much my room sucks. Date taken: June 19, 2011. Anyhow, you can also click to enlarge.

An average room for an average person.

[Legit Goodies #2] PurePwnage

"Boom, Headshot!" -Joel "FPS_Doug" Gardiner

If you are old enough lurking the internet, you have probably encountered this phrase -- be it in videos, games, and blogs such as this one. Everything has its origins right? It so happens that, that particular line was a catchphrase from what will be reviewed here. It's from the phenomenal web series named PurePwnage.

This.

[IRL #5] White Smoke!

Ok my fellow sheepiness mates, this one's a shorty.

Earlier this day, my friend handed my his external drive saying that he would like to have some of my software copied unto his drive. I am okay with that, since I don't mind sharing my games and applications. When I came home for lunch, I immediately booted up my rig to get the job done immediately.

Here is the fun part...

[IRL #4] First Day, Second Year

Ok, I just arrived from school and to mind you, it was the first day of my 2nd year in college.

A new school year has just officially started, and I am really excited about what will I be encountering this time. Since it was the first day, as I have mentioned, there was not much going on -- just a bunch of attendance checking, basic redundant (lol) orientations and summaries of our course subject. Other than that, it was fun meeting with pipz again.

[IRL #3] Home Alone!

What's up flock?

Wow I can see that my blog is really up and going!
I would like to have this post to update you about what's going on around here.

It's currently almost eight in the morning, and I find myself home alone again!
I don't know where did the others go, but when I woke up before updating this blog, all I saw were my sister and parents going out of the house. I'm not exactly sure if they were going to visit someone, or have a walk.

[IRL #2] Milestone: The Flock!

Wow. this is just another sleepless night, I must say. It's currently 4:22 AM, not a usual time of a typical person to be awake, I know! But maybe this is just because I made a new milestone of my blogging stuff. I made my first 8 followers! I'm so overwhelmed by this, that fact that I thought that no one would ever stop by and comment, and such.

Anyway guys, because of this, all of my followers will now be dubbed: The Flock.
You'll get why I called you such in the future, since my blog is still in its premature and growing stage.

By premature, I mean seeing all these default format, and slanting lines, and such.
Hell... I use too many "ands".
And I don't even care about spell check about that.
;D

Until Next time guys, Be sure to check back next Friday for another entry.
FUN FUN FUN...
What?
NVM...

P.S. The Flock deserves an applause!

I know you feel better inside. :D


G'nite!

All images used in the content of the blog belong to their respective copyright owners.

[Legit Goodies #1] The Guild

"It's Friday night, and still jobless. Yay!" ~Cyd Sherman, opening scene from The Guild Season 1

If you are an avid gamer, and a Youtube habitant, I am very sure you would be delighted to dig this review. Today's review is about The Guild, an ongoing Youtube web series featuring the life of an avid MMORPG player, Cyd Sherman, better known as her in-game alias, Codex. Sherman is played by the creator of the show: Felicia Day, herself.

Felicia Day as Cyd Sherman, as Codex

[Announcement] Entries Every Friday

Hey guys! I don't know how the heck have you come upon this blog of mine, but since you are already here, let's make it regular.

From now on, please check The Sleepless Logs for blogs, reviews, and for more random stuffs at least every Friday (GMT +08:00). I'll do my best to maintain this routine.

Check back Tomorrow!

~Cheers!

[IRL #1] Sleepless: Guitars, Rants, and Meat Boys

It pains a lot to see myself turn on my "rig" again in this point in time. It's not even a "special" 2:22 AM. It's as if I am addicted just by looking at the glaring screen of the digital world. I would not like to imply that I am restraining myself from pleasure -- I just can't freakin' sleep. And I needed that sleep.