PageRank 1

Little did I know about search engine optimization (SEO) and Google PageRank until today. I was eager to push my blog to be one of which are searchable and contains relevant content. I asked my colleague, Jay, who has a background on SEO, tips on how I can rank my site. He suggested to install a PageRank detector in my browser's toolbar to check my current rank. When I did, I found out that my blog has a rank of 1. I told Jay that I only had a 1 rank and he was amazed about that. He said that it's already a big deal if I ranked even 1 since it is a tough job.

When I knew about that, I can't believe that The Geek Repository is already on its way to be something relevant. I'm really happy with my blog's achievement, knowing that I only started writing again this January. However, I believe that it's still a long way to go. Cheers still!

[MV] IU - Good Day (Japanese version)

After a year since I first encountered K-Pop singer IU through my master Rhage, her song Good Day already had a Japanese version. This is my favorite song, since it reflected my own experiences way back 2010. I had a hard time covering the original Korean version since I've always been a J-Pop enthusiast. Now with this on air, I now have my plans of recording it.

[PV] TVXQ - B.U.T.

First of all, thanks to my friend Sienna for introducing me to TVXQ. This is one of my favorite songs and finally I was able to see its music video! She asked me to write a full review of TVXQ's TONE album. Here is the link to my review.

From the album TONE of TVXQ comes B.U.T. (Beauty). Contradicting from the slow introduction comes an upbeat and sexy song. The beat reflects how adventurous the message of the song is on chasing the girl who caught his eye. It says how much he was attracted to the girl and how much he wishes to be with her. What you will feel in hearing this song is the determination and appreciation of the guy to this certain person who made his world turn around. The video may not necessarily reflect the lyrics of the song but its rhythm really does capture the intensity of what the PV portrayed.

Execute Order 24: Surprise the Birthday Boy

Despite my incomplete hours of sleep, I still managed to wake up by 7 to greet Ray. When I called him, he was already awake. I sang him the birthday song like I did a hundred times yesterday for my forced "pre-celebration". I greeted him so many times. Little did he know on what I have up on my sleeve.

I left the house by 8:30, the usual late departure and arrived at the office by 9:30. I saw my allies in the pantry and showed them what I did with the memes. I then rolled out the plan to them. I asked Kuya Bot if he can operate my gift for him; my gift is a remote control (RC) car. I decided to give him an RC car not only because his initials were RC but because he dreams of having a car of his own. So for the meantime, I decided to give him his "own" car, he can drive it alright, with the remote control. Kuya Bot agreed to operate the RC car for me. I also asked Jasper, his batchmate and buddy, to keep him downstairs for around 30-45 minutes when they decided to have a break after lunchtime. By then, we will be setting up the cake, the car and the memes. Everything was well-planned, there was just this one thing: I haven't bought the gift yet.

If there is only an alibi which I could use to excuse myself so that I can go to SM Megamall to buy the car. There was actually one, I told Ray that I'll go to the Globe Business Center to cash out some money for my business. That's fair enough. He said he was sorry he couldn't come because he'll be programming some codes for his project. "Good," I thought yet it really turned out with me saying, "Aww, it's okay". He asked me to return by 11. I managed to do the task before 11 and asked Mitc to tell Kuya Bot to meet me downstairs so it will look like as if he bought something. We were supposed to meet at 7-Eleven but thanks to Globe's delayed messages, Mitc received the messages late. When I took the elevator, Mitc met me outside the office restroom. She texted Kuya Bot to meet us there and gave the gift to him when he arrived. He returned to the office first, then Mitc, then me. Good thing Ray is in a meeting.

Mitc and Kuya Bot offered to buy the cake for me. They even shared some amount which I really see as a big favor. I tried to look for other cheesecakes near our office so it won't be a hassle for them yet they were too pricey. So we just went on with the plan, they went to Conti's Greenhills for the cake to save delivery charge. Ray and I ate his birthday lunch, which is ginataang hipon and monggo. Then we went to SM Megamall to keep him from the office until Mitc and Kuya Bot return.

When we were on Megamall, I asked why he seems so bored even if it's his birthday. He said that it's just a normal and ordinary day for him, in which I considered an advantage for the surprise. Then the conversation steered to where we left off the night before. We once again had the discussion of our misunderstanding yesterday which made me feel bad but eventually okay. When we were already back to good terms, we had a drink at Quickly in the foodcourt. He bought a Choco Loco Super for him and a Super Taro Ice for me. Then we sat at the spot which is very memorable to both of us.

Then we decided to head back to the office. Mitc texted me that they're already at the Podium when we were at the foodcourt. When I texted her that we're in El Pueblo already, she told me to slow down a little since they were still at Jollibee Emerald. We may bump into them in the elevator if ever. So I slowed down my walk and dragged Ray to 7-Eleven by telling him I want chocolate. He insisted to buy later but I said I want to buy now. I silently hoped that it didn't made him suspect a thing. I was waiting for Mitc's reply while choosing for a chocolate. It is really unlikely of me to choose slowly. I finally settled for two bars of Cloud-9. To give Mitc and Kuya Bot more time, I decided to go to the restroom. Ray made a fuss about it by telling me that I should just take the restroom in our floor. I told him in a slightly, overreacting manner that I can't hold it anymore. He then allowed me. I called Mitc when I was in the restroom and said that they were already upstairs. After, we went back to the office.

In a short while, Ray chatted me that Jasper and him will be going downstairs. It's now Jasper's move. I gave him the signal through a message in Yahoo! Messenger. When they left, I told Kuya Bot the route of the car, and the message with it, Mitc and I had the box of cake and placed the troll face sticker inside, I placed the memes in the cake and done. We'll just be waiting for their return. The only fail thing that happened was that I didn't see Jasper's text message immediately. When I saw the message, I chatted Kuya Bot right away to prepare but they were already in the office. I hope it still goes well.

When Ray saw the box (with the troll) he was cool about it. He even appreciated the troll inside. When he sat at this workstation, I went to the pantry to get the cake as he will be dealing with the remote control car which says "Follow Me" (that will be to the pantry to where I am, where the cake is and my troll-faced letter as the parking spot is). When he arrived at the pantry, I can say he was surprised by the cake and the troll letter. Mitc and Kuya Bot followed him as he read the messages in the cake. I called his batchmates to join us as we sing him the birthday song and eat the blueberry cheesecake. I showed him the videos I recorded last night with Balong and RJI greeting him (I also have a video actually). Mitc suggested that one of our officemates has a discount for Shakey's, only Php 400 for two pizzas and a 1.5L softdrinks. He then decided to treat us with that. By the end of the night, we went to Joanjo Panciteria to where my family was celebrating my sister's recognition in her college and greeted Ray a happy birthday too.

Wheeew. Despite what had happened, the misunderstandings, the death-defying circumstances of the plan and financial issues, I still manage to pull this through and make him happy. I can see how happy he really was just by observing him and that really made me thankful that I have him.

I love you sweetie. Happy birthday! :)

26 Missed Calls

Whew! I've been up all night working around tomorrow-slash-today's celebration: it's Ray's birthday!* Everything's done by now: the memes have sticks, ready to be placed on the cake with their messages on the back; I printed two troll faces, one for my letter and one for trolling; and I finally decided on a gift. It will be legen-wait for it-dary!

Today's weird since we parted in not-so-good terms. I really felt bad about what happened but that didn't stop me to continue the plan I've been executing for days. So even if I finished at around 11:30 in the evening, everything is worth it. When the clock struck twelve, I decided to call him to greet him over the phone. But unfortunately, and just as I expected, he is already asleep. I left 26 missed calls, and there's a meaning in it. Ha-ha!

I am looking forward for later, for I know he will be, well yeah, surprised and we're gonna be okay.


* I wrote this blog in the middle of the 23rd and the 24th of February.

A Not-So-Evil Plan

The other February guy celebrates his birthday tomorrow; and he has no idea what I've been up to.

I was planning a simple, surprise celebration for Ray since last Tuesday. I've been telling to myself, "It's his birthday on Friday, what will I get him?". A lot of ideas came pouring yet I haven't chose one that will make it memorable. Then there I was on 9GAG. I remembered how we had our first conversations revolving around the memes on 9GAG, as well as some trivia and wisdom quotes that were posted there. There was also this time when I recalled that we planned to have a customized shirt having our favorite meme on it. Then I decided to theme this celebration with some memes.

Having memes alone will not make it special I thought, since memes are already mainstream. There was even a proposal using memes in the internet and guys or girls lurking around talking about it. I thought of a pillow with memes, masks with memes, but it's just not that good enough. My friend, Michelle, learned about my plan and decided to help me by contributing some ideas. She told me about a some what meme mosaic with messages in it. I found that really cool so I tried to realize the idea. She gave her and Kuya Bot's (another friend of ours) message so that I can start it up. But it was a hassle since I am really not a pro in Photoshop. She asked my progress by Wednesday but to no avail. Right then and there, I thought of a simpler way to have those two essential elements: memes and messages.

Today, I asked Ray's batchmates to give me their messages, with their preferred meme. Some just gave the ordinary memes and the others generated their own. By the end of the day, I finally collected their messages and memes. They had theirs, but I don't have mine yet. My favorite meme is Troll Face and I want that to reflect my message for him. I guess I'll do it later.When I was about to go home, I recalled everything that had happened within the day. Are the messages enough? What am I going to do with it?

Tomorrow, there'll be a surprise party. There will be a cake, it will be from Conti's but I don't know yet if it's blueberry cheesecake (he loves cheesecake so much and even settles for an ice cream with cheesecake flavor) or the bestseller Mango Bravo (I remembered when I showed him an image of this when we're still chatmates). There will be memes with messages on the back and I'll place them on a stick then poke them in the cake which will make the cake more appealing. What else?

Oh yeah, I don't have a gift. Argh.

Le Birthday Dad

Today is the day that our Creator gave me my sweet, loving and jolly father. Today is his birthday and I don't know what to give him as a gift. I greeted him first thing in the morning when I woke up, while he was giving his instructions to my sister. He said thanks and headed to school. I gave him a text message, once again greeting him a happy birthday and telling him I love him. For the first time in history, he replied "thanks. love u2". He doesn't reply most of the time to those three words via text, but now he did. Yay for that!

Upon arriving at the office, I still have no idea what to give him. I asked Ray to accompany me at SM Megamall to look for one. We've gone to car shops, bookstores and clothing boutiques but to no avail. At the end of the day, I just decided to give him a cake. That was a usual buy when there's a birthday in our house. Along with Ray and Michelle when we went home from work, I bought a mango cake from Red Ribbon. Lucky that Red Ribbon allows to write some dedication even if it's a roll cake. Yes, I took advantage of that service and wrote a simple happy birthday note.

My mother called to check if I've already boarded a van and told her that I am still on the line. She asked Ray to come with me to our house for a small celebration. Ray gladly accepted the invitation. Upon arriving home, we just celebrated the night away, thanking God for giving me the best father one could ever have.

Papa Pol, Happy Birthday! I love you always. Thank you for being the best father, brother and friend to me. :)

Review: TVXQ - Tone

I am usually fond of listening songs from the anime series. But since Arashi and Supercell, I've been listening to other J-Pop bands too. A friend of mine introduced me to TVXQ and she asked me to review their album TONE.


The album has 13 tracks including a DVD for the PVs. My listening started with a soothing introduction as the first track. I believe that it set the mood of what I'm about to hear. The next song B.U.T immediately gave me the headstart I expected of this album. To be followed by the next tracks, it gave me the groove to dance with the beat. Even the songs with a lighter mood like Duet and Telephone still owned the dance beat but relayed a different meaning to its listeners. These songs gave the sentimental feel as well as the need to groove with the rhythm. But what caught my ears was the second to the last song, which I believe is a ballad. It gave
me the chills and a very heartwarming feel that soothes me. Also cheers to Thank You My Girl which adopted Canon as its base music. Going back to history is a good option, and this is a plus for those who like modern RNB as well as classical music.

I noticed however, that the arrangement of the songs kicked off with the club beats, went down a little for the in love party people in the mid, returned to the groove and lied low to a ballad as the nearing end of the tracklist. The last song, Easy Mind gave an unexpected ending to a whole listening experience. It left the listener a goodbye that somehow, in my opinion, told me that "Thank you for listening, I hope you had fun". The arrangement isn't bad. I believe that it played with the mood of the listener. It focused more on the upbeat feel yet set aside a part for those with soft sides.

Here are the reviews for each song in the album:

1. INTRO

The first song of the album is very mellow and relaxing. It is a perfect and surprising start to what is in store for the whole playlist. The lyrics of the song is somewhat sentimental which will lead you to wondering what will happen later. It started with a moment of tranquility and questions.

2. BUT

Contradicting from the slow introduction comes an upbeat and sexy song. The beat reflects how adventurous the message of the song is on chasing the girl who caught his eye. It says how much he was attracted to the girl and how much he wishes to be with her. What you will feel in hearing this song is the determination and appreciation of the guy to this certain person who made his world turn around.

3. I Think U Know

Another upbeat song to follow BUT, with somewhat the same goal. This song is about a guy who thinks that the apple of his eye, knows how he can't take his eyes away from her. The sound describes how he expresses his idea to this girl and dares her to take a step with him. The situation of these characters in the song is the exact reason why the piece is arranged this way, to have a hot and exciting feel to whatever circumstances they may encounter next.

4. Duet

To follow the first two dance songs in the tracklist, was a RNB love song dedicated to the most special girl in the world. Duet says of how much he will give everything to the love of his life and is decided to stay with her forever through thick and thin. It is established in a not-so-mellow way so that it shall leave the pressure between the love statements behind. The message is expressed in a way that the listener will know what is in store for the both of them in a casual manner and something to look forward to. The title Duet implies to the message of the song a duet cannot be done alone, same as the guy can't live without this girl.

5. Thank You My Girl

The most "classical dance song" in the album. Thank You My Girl adapted the very famous Pachebel's Canon in this song as their base tone. Although Canon has always been a classic, the approach to this song is very modern. So for those who want a classic and modern feel in one, listen to this. Also, if you are a romantic who already has someone special in their life, you can dedicate this song to her as a sign of gratitude, as what this song implies. The singer thanks this certain girl who showed him life's meaning by staying by his side whatever it takes.

6. Telephone

After songs of rockin' love, is a slower version of everything. Telephone tells of a guy who hasn't seen his loved one for quite some time yet tells her over the phone how much he loves her. He asks her to trust in her despite their distance as soon he'll be seeing her again. I personally like this song, as it is already a somewhat-ballad to me even with some beats in the background. The message of the song is relayed intensely, as I can feel the singer's desire for them to meet again. The feel is so complete and heartwarming as it assures positivity between them.

7. Back to Tomorrow

This is a song that has a very deep meaning. It is about a guy assuring the girl he loves that he will take care of her and let her see the beauty of tomorrow again. This is so because this girl had her heart broken and isn't sure of what is in store for her. The song is composed with an upbeat approach that promotes the singer's strong desire to patch this girl's heart and never let her smile leave her face again.

8. Why?

A stronger upbeat song compared to the rest of the dance songs in the playlist. This songs present a more intense hiphop beat to describe how much the singer despises the girl who left him not giving him a chance to correct the things he had done. Despite it's strong musical arrangement, is a set of words of defense from a sorrowful experience.

9. Maximum

Maximum followed Why's intensity when it came to sound arrangement. But as for the message behind the song, it doesn't refer to anyone but the singer himself. He is proud to tell the world that he is now beyond his limits and as suggested by the title, at his maximum. He is proud of what he is now and screams through this song's music how much he desires to share this glory.

10. I Don't Know

This is an ironic song about someone who is crazy for a girl who pushes him around and is already to a point of obsession. The song arrangement is again in an upbeat manner to hide the singer's dizzy thoughts about this girl; on why he wishes to stick around despite their situation.

11. Superstar

Since superstars are in demand these days, this song is about a guy who wishes to be a girl's Superstar. He wishes the girl to be all about him as he is all about her. The music gave sense to the singer's desire of being this girl's eye candy. The beats represented his want to be wanted.

12. Shiawaseiro No Hana

My favorite song in the album! I love it because it is a ballad and I can relate with the lyrics of the song. It's message says of a wonderful feeling of having somebody in your life who treasures you wholeheartedly. Despite of whatever will happen in the future, he will always be there assuring his love will never fade.

13. Easy Mind

And here we are at the end of the list. The last song Easy Mind, gives as a good outro as it promotes positivity not only in the sound arrangement but as well as the lyrics. It is a reminder for each and everyone of us to relax and live our life fully despite unwanted situations.

To sum it all up, I loved listening to TONE. It is a must hear for those who are fond of having a pretty adventurous life yet has a sentimental part in their personality. It reflects the twists of life through.. tone. :)