Macalua.com

Better late than never. Thanks to Ian for tagging me in the SEO tag game. Ian was one of the movers behind SES China and I hope to see him again in the near future to talk search and Asia :)

Here are 5 things most people don’t know about me that I’m willing to share at this time:

1. I used to have a life long fascination with dinosaurs. I knew everything there was to know about dinosaurs. Flash me a picture and I could tell you what it was, where it lived, when it lived, what it ate, what it’s defense mechanism was, etc. I knew all the documented dinosaur extinction theories. The fascination with these beasts grew to Zoids and the Dinobots, fossil hunting (I collected fossilized leaves), monster movies and archaeology (I wanted to take up archaeology in college, thank God Ateneo didn’t have that course available yet). There’s something about that period that still fascinates me up to now.
2. I’m a Civilization addict. I love Sid Meier so much that I don’t play the pirated versions. I have all 4 versions, the Warlords expansion pack and CivCity: Rome. The game’s “build an empire to stand the test of time” objective is a creative play on the classic Machiavellian theme that most dog-eat-dog veterans live by. If I have the resources and the motivation, I’ll wipe your civilization (or website) from the face of the earth. It’s quite a departure from the real me. I’m generous to a fault. I’d be a great customer evangelist and boss and a lousy salesman. If you need a favor and if it’s something I can do, chances are you won’t have to ask twice. Maybe it was my upbringing. I’m a giver and being able to give gives me a great sense of satisfaction. Keeps me from saving too. Needless to say, some people I won’t name have also taken advantage of this. The worst kind are the ones who love to steal ideas.
3. I’ve never been hospitalized. The hospital bed is alien territory. Call me resilient or unbreakable, but then again, I’ve been a lucky bastard despite the birthmark on my butt (in the Philippines, that’s equivalent to having 666 on your forehead). If there’s one thing medical-related that’s bothering me right now, it would have to be my memory. I just learned recently that Alzheimer’s is in my blood and I need to take a more proactive role in keeping it at bay as long as I can.
4. I’m a war junkie. From documentaries, to movies and video games, I love seeing epic battles and gallantry unfold. To relive the soldier dream, I’ve taken up airsoft as a serious hobby in the past. I love to play the sniper role, stalking the target and moving inch by inch under camouflage. The adrenaline rush of running around this make believe battlefield can’t compare to anything I’ve done before. Meeting search rock stars during conferences comes close though (damn I missed that photo op).
5. I secretly hold a grudge against Yahoo :)

Thanks to Ian for bringing the tag game to Asia. Lemme go ahead and help spread it to the sneezers in this part of the world:

1. Miles Evans (what’s up with the blog vacation dude, we want more posts hehe)
2. Benj Arriola
3. Abe Olandres
4. Janette Toral
5. Mike Abundo