I haven’t used Photoshop for almost a year now. Back when I was with Sterling Paper, I used that software in my everyday work as I was then handling six graphic artists and supervising their creative output. Of course I wasn’t near their level of proficiency, but I was able to learn enough to make good use of it.

And so today I tried my hands at it again. I just wanted to know if I could still use it. I sat almost for an hour thinking of what graphic or image project should I practice on till I noticed my blog header. The previous header was just a painting of a futuristic city. I got to thinking, “Why did I use this sci-fi pic? I’m not blogging about sci-fi. I’m blogging about my life.”

So I created a header depicting my life as it is today. And it is fitting.

For she is my life.

My old Compaq Armada saddles my Eee PC and a Gameboy Advance. The one in the middle is obviously my favorite.

And as my Eee PC House wallpaper says…  Aaaahhh!!!

I just played one of the oldest Google games around and it really sparked my so far boring day.

I typed “Manoel is” in the Google search bar and made a search. The results I got were very interesting although of course, they didn’t make sense for me because the Manoels mentioned in the list are not me but some fellow namesakes of mine.

But still, it was fun! You should do it one time you get bored in front of your computer.

“Manoel is” Google Search Results:

Manoel is a fortification on the island of Malta.

Manoel is a populated place in Maranhão, which is a region of Brazil.

Manoel is ending up just hiring out space and producing nothing new

Manoel is a very talented professional that is always seeking opportunities in a very unique and innovative way.

Manoel is awesome.

Manoel is a Portuguese form of Emmanuel.

Manoel is on a distinguished road.

Manoel is the prettiest theatre I have ever seen.

Manoel is a Sao Paulo-based singer-songwriter from the late-60s-70s

Manoel is having his first Ars Nova one-man-show of sorts on the 6th!

Manoel is 47 years old and has been to Badwater

Manoel is a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist

When I see an open window I want to…

…jump and fly away like Superman

…look out and observe life as it happens

…imagine a beautiful girl pass by and glance at me

…listen to the sweet noise of kids playing patintero, tumbang preso or taguan—something I haven’t seen in a decade

…stare at the sky and imagine what it’s like to be a cloud, always changing shape and moving away

…open it even more and let the elements flow in

…shut it and feel all alone in my little space.

What would you do if you see an open window? Would you be sentimental and daydream like I do or be pragmatic and close it to avoid the draft?

I often wondered why airport food is exorbitantly priced. The first time I flew, that was when I went to Cebu, I didn’t eat breakfast then so I was very hungry when I entered the passengers’ lounge. I wanted a quick bite so I went to this stall and was surprised when the lady manning it told me that the thin tuna sandwich I was pointing at cost P80.

That’s too much for a pitiful, malnourished couple of slices of bread and a few tuna pieces in between.

Then Seth Godin enlightened me on this when he said: “The closer you are to the point of need, the more you can charge.”

I guess that explains everything.

And by the way, I went for a donut instead.

My officemate, Acey, wastes at least two spoonfuls of rice every lunch. I think it’s such a big waste of food. I’ve pointed this out to her but she says she can’t eat a couple of bites more of the rice. I wish she would just offer a part of it to us before she starts eating so nothing gets wasted.

Study shows that an American family of four wastes that much food as stated on the photo. That’s approximately 122 pounds of food thrown out to the garbage. That’s a lot of waste!

I’m deeply concerned here not because I love food, but living here in the Philippines where there’s currently a rice shortage plus the fact that I read news of starving people in places like Africa and Bangladesh, it makes me think how could anyone have the heart to waste that much?

I eat everything on my plate. It’s not gluttony. It’s just putting God’s graces where they rightfully belong.

In my stomach.

A white piece of paper was stapled to the bulletin board this morning. Our company is inviting us, employees, to watch the new Indiana Jones movie. For free. It’s their treat.

I would love to go. I haven’t seen a film since… see, I can’t remember the last one. I’m sure it would still be fun watching Harrison Ford whack his whip around. I don’t mind if it’s a 65 year-old man wearing that hat and brandishing that whip; it’s still Harrison Ford. The man oozes with masculinity and charisma.

Hey, it’s not a big deal to admire someone who has a body part that also dangles, right? I like him best as Han Solo, though.

It’s time to go home now. I just checked the bulletin board again and the Indiana Jones invite is still empty of signatures. I can’t believe no one’s signing up. I hope they do.

Now why do I have a hard time listing my name first? Aaarghh! One of these days I’ve got to learn to stand up, get what I want, act how I wish to act.

I’m pathetic.

I know I’ve been talking nothing but Eee PC lately. I just can’t help it. This little bugger is the best thing I ever bought with my hard-earned cash.

Anyway, going back to the premise of this entry’s title, the Eee PC 4g’s webcam is a 0.3 megapixel baby. It’s not high-end but decent enough to take a Friendster photo such as this one:

It’s not a composition error. My girlfriend preferred her face occupied only the left side of the picture.

On the other hand, my officemates Acey and Yula covered the whole frame.

My adrenaline was on a natural high the day I was finally able to change my Eee PC’s desktop interface from this cute:

To this not so cute but more adult-appealing look (you can still say it’s cute if you find Greg House adorable):

I did this after reading a thread at the Eeeph forum. One important reminder to those who would try this. You have to be connected to the internet when you do the command prompts.

People say the Eee PC is not a laptop or desktop replacement. That it should only be considered as a second option when you’re outside where a desktop is impossible to use or a laptop would just be too heavy and big to carry around. I completely disagree with all this.

The Eee PC can be your main computer only if your requirements for a pc is not too high. You can be productive and have fun at the same time using this nifty little gadget.

Here are the the softwares that let me do both. They’re all pre-installed together with the Xandros OS. And they’re all free.

1. OpenOffice.org 2.0

To write wherever and whenever I feel like writing is the primary reason why I bought this Eee PC. Be aware that it is not the complete OpenOffice package. This one only has Writer, Calc and Impress. Basically you can write, do spreadsheets and create Powerpoint presentations.

2. Firefox and Thunderbird both v. 2.0.0.9

The Thunderbird I don’t use. I don’t get that much email but the Firefrox, I use all the time. It’s the best browser for me simply because it’s faster. I even use it at work with my office pc.

3. Adobe Reader

I wasn’t really expecting to use my Eee PC as an ebook reader. But now I do especially during break time.

4. Learning softwares

There’s a bunch of kids-oriented programs here that I’m thinking of deleting to free up some space. Particularly the Math programs. I hate math!

Planetarium or Kstars

This one’s actually cool. I get to gaze at the stars on my little screen and learn a few stats about them. I selected Manila, Philippines as my viewing point and looked at the North Star (from the point of view of someone standing in Manila). it is amazing and a great way to feel like a kid again.

5. SMPlayer

A great video player. It plays almost every video files. Although it’s not much fun watching Ozawa on a small screen, but it’s not the player’s fault anymore.

6. Penguin or Tux Racer

Here I get to control Tux, Linux’s penguin mascot, as he slides down snowy slopes. The graphics is great, the frame rate is fast and the action is dizzyingly….well, fast.

Potato Guy

I never had a Mr. Potato Head as a kid so I could just imagine what a great fun toy it must have been. With Potato Guy, you get to fix your ‘doll’s’ face and get up. Dress him up with the provided body parts and accessories. You can also choose Tux and an aquarium where you can put little fishies and corals.

There are other games such as Sudoko, Ltris, Frozen Bubble, Crack Attack, and the classics Hangman and Solitaire.