PotatoDude

A small Vegetable Feeding Millions

[dapotatocorner]

A 90mm Cannon and a Whirlwind of Bullets

J.R. Adiviso 11-HUMSS-2

Historical warfare has always been an interest of mine ever since i was a child, i grew up watching history channels : “ Decisive Battles “ Series, it was a very niche interest at the time, i mean what kind of child would like to see men killing each other right?

add in a heavy interest in gaming and it makes a rather weird mix.

this interest of battles of massive armies from the ancient times of rome eventually blossomed into a heavy interest in tank warfare especially in WW2, it was unique for my perspective. it was something not everyone liked, it was full of death and destruction. and most of important of all. it was Cool

so the first moment i got a phone for myself i instantly started downloading any tank game i could find, and come 8 years i finally receive my first PC, courtesy of my auntie that works overseas.

there was one game that i kept my eye on far before i got my PC, it was called WarThunder. a game dedicated to tanks, aircraft and ships from ww2 to the modern day. essentially heaven for someone like me.

the first moment i played the tutorial i was hooked in, the sounds of the engine of the Panther II and its powerful gun drew me in. it felt as if i was in a real battlefield, commanding a real tank. all these new sights and sounds coming in to my brain made me think this was all real, and i enjoyed that.

it was entertaining to me, it was exhilarating, it made my heart pump, the hidden threat of an enemy hiding in a corner, the hiding enemies that i would need to spot from a kilometer away, and the ensuing slugfest of machineguns and shells. 

i would see an enemy and point my gun at it, ranging him for a perfect shot and align the turret and gun to prepare to fire, then the all familiar *Chunk* of a shell being loaded would resonate inside the vehicle and the prerecorded voice of the loader would play sayingg “Loaded!”, and i would click the mouse. BOOM the thunder of a 90mm Gun firing would be heard and after a second or so. a hit.

the shell ended up hitting the ammo rack of the enemy causing its turret to explode and fly up into the air, it was a sight to behold. even if i was almost Two kilometers away.

and by chance i would catch a glimpse of another one, a Leopard, aiming for me. i reverse in panic hoping to hide from his reticle in hopes of him missing me, however he fires and i was too slow to hide. i can see the 105mm shell heading straight for my tank, and a second would pass and it would hit. 

however it didn’t hit me, but the ground just meters away from me, i would scoff and mumble “must be a noob” and aim for the helpless Leopard 1.

with my 90mm ranged and ready to fire, i click.

another kill.

- The Potato Dude

[dapotatocorner]

Land Of Nostalgia

J.R. Adiviso 11-HUMSS-2 

  ones hometown isnt really an interesting destination for many travelers out there, usually it would be another country or an interesting destination in ones own, such as waterfalls etc. etc. 

 i once had that kind of perspective but ever since the pandemic stuck I've found myself dreaming of my hometown of Alicia Isabela far more often that not.

We usually had very stale and unworthy vacations at our hometown, this one was one of those, with one big twist. CAT!

the little mischievous bundle of fur friend ish we had. a very treasured one.

it took about 8 or so hours to drive to our province, and in all of those hours this cat was running around the car and scratching everything. quite the mischievous one innit? 

the drive was overall uneventful, from city to city we passed. then the highways, and to NLEX. it was all fields and fields as far as the eyes could see. and the occasional mountain here or there dotted the road

once we arrived at our grandmothers house it was nearing 4PM, and once we got there my mom and dad just lay on the beds prepared for them by our relatives, exhausted by the trip. and of course my younger brother got to take the hammock, HOW DARE YOU!!! 

whilst they were doing their thing sleeping, i went out with my cousins to sightsee at the mountains and go to the river to try to get some fish, and the road was.... muddy. 

thankfully i had changed my slacks for maong pants and my shoe for slippers, or else my only pair of slacks i had brought for the week long trip would be stained by mud and water. 

come next day we boarded the van and went for my grandpa on my dads side’s house, it took about half an hour drive from my grandmas to my gramps and it was all through an urban area this time. no more fields as far as the eyes can see.

my gramps house was once a one story house with two bedrooms but the past years he has expanded it and incorporated a 2nd floor which was kinda nice, it had the standard two room layout that he used to rent out to university students at the area that wished to get into a boarding house.

once we arrived at noon 2nd day we were treated to a hearty meal of adobo and caldereta, ahhh the classic filipino lunch .

the next three days were filled of travelling around the province and sightseeing around the area, going to monuments and mountains and even driving at night near the clifface, which was one of the more... lets say.. dangerous parts of this ‘escapade’

those days were filled with sights and different locations that we experienced, but the one i would never forget was the first two days, where we spent our time on the houses of my grandparents. those were the moments i would always dream about and hope that it could happen again.

and i wish it had, but then this pandemic happened, Curses!! - The Potato Dude

[dapotatocorner]

Welcome to my ted talk where i rate potatoes

Rank 3 - mashed potato, whatever the french came up with, fried potato

Rank 2 - anime potato, steamed potato, french fry

Rank 1 - potat

[staff]

Potatoes are neat, right? You know what else is neat? Expanding video upload limits. So we went ahead and did that.

Here are the deets:

Videos posted per day: 10 → 20

Video upload size limit: 100MB → 500MB

Single Video time limit: 5 minutes → 10 minutes

Total Video time limit per day: 5 minutes → 60 minutes

Now you can watch all nine minutes and thirty-five seconds of a potato cooking in a microwave. Because that’s how long it takes.

🥔 Potatoes were harmed during the making of this video. 🥔

[dapotatocorner]

microwaved potato yes yes

[dapotatocorner]

Interactions

J.R. Adiviso 11-HUMMSS-2

why do we need to socialize? why do we need to interact with others and exchange information in any shape or form? cant we just stay silent all our life doing our own things without being bothered by other people for once?

we as humans tend to be attracted to groups of people, we don’t like being alone, its been an instinct ingrained in our brains since the first of our ancestors started being... well... humans.

the threat of the outside world and all the wild animals in the wild that can easily kill someone that’s alone have been a problem to our ancestors for millennia. therefore they made groups, they lived together, formed social bonds, cared for each other and tended to each others needs. we humans are social beings and we’ve stayed that way for thousands of years. 

with the pandemic being widespread all over the world communication with other people has been rather... stale as one may put it. our social life has been challenged by social distancing, lockdowns and other kinds of inconveniences the world has given us in this troubling time

these lockdowns are affecting social groups and changing the ways we interact with others so fast that we cant even adopt to it, from personal meetings to now zoom calls. from hangouts with friends on the mall to just the occasional chatting and slowly deteriorating relationships that we once had. its a challenge to keep everything intact when you cant even interact with it.

that’s why a lot of people have turned to online websites or apps to communicate with others, to do their jobs and studies, and practically anything that involves interacting with others while the lockdowns are a thing.

in but a year millions of people weren't allowed to go out of their homes to attend weddings, go to someone's funeral, hang out with their friends, and maybe even visit a sick and dying loved one as is on my case. to talking in video calls with teachers and co-workers about their next project and what they should do. it has been a drastic change and many people are affected by it.

a lot of people have become depressed over the months, people have broken down into tears over not being able to see their friends and family, not being able to work and get laid off of their jobs, and many more 

that’s why a lot of people have turned to online websites or apps to communicate with others, to do their jobs and studies, and practically anything that involves interacting with others while the lockdowns are a thing. videos of other people have replaced the interactions we once had with other people, google links and drives have replaced the all too familiar test papers and worksheets we once used to hate.

and now we look back at it with nostalgic eyes hoping the lockdown has never happened.

over the days humanity has adopted to the pandemic, unemployed people got jobs, teachers got back to teaching and students got back to studying and procrastinating. now equipped with a massively different tool to wield when interacting with others.

the internet has sort of saved our social lives in a way, allowing us to keep interacting with others on a daily basis, continue on with our jobs and lives as if the pandemic was never there.

but nothing would ever replace the feeling of happiness people get when hugging their parents in person and saying goodbye right after you finished cleaning up the plates from the family dinner.

to answer my question. we need to socialize because it keeps us from being lonely, from being isolated from the world and feel like we are alone, it keeps us from going crazy and depressed. and most important of all, socializing allows us to enjoy time with people we love and cherish and to meet new ones to form social bonds with. 

we are social beings after all - The Potato Dude 

[dapotatocorner]

Mothers Love

J.R. Adiviso 11-HUMSS-2

 A mother is such a mysterious being, it raises her kids with unconditional love all the time and such a tender care. it cares for them every waking day always tending to their needs be it in the day or in the middle of the night. they keep watch in every moment for any danger to their child and will even throw away their life if need be. they slave away at their household chores just to take care of their child and their husbands. 

 I am one of the lucky ones to have such a caring mother, Her name is Hervic Lenie T. Adiviso. 46 years of age she has never failed to take care of me and my siblings. she has never abandoned us in any situation and has provided for us a home and a good life. something i will never forget. she was always there for me and would support me and my siblings in anything we did. she was there when i first walked. when i first talked. when i first finished school, and when i first got hurt. she was always there and with no fail she has helped me up and supported me whenever i fell down and hurt myself

 Perhaps it was due to her childhood upbringing that she cared for me and my siblings so tenderly, she lived with a tender and caring family of nine with her seven siblings. and at an early age she learnt to became independent. at an early age she would learn how to sell vegetables at the marketplace, pick veggies and other things. go to school alone, cook for her siblings and care for herself. 

 These experiences made her as a person, it made her stronger as ever and never back down to any challenge, it made her a strong woman who could take on anything the world threw at here. be it living alone and finding a job to raising a family full of troublesome children  

 “there are a lot of hardships in life that may come however i will take them all on if that means i can give two a good life” is one of her words that stuck with me. when i was seven i didn’t understand what she had meant, however looking back to it now it still puzzled me, how could someone overcome so much just for the sake of another? how could they sacrifice everything they have for a no good child? 

 until this day i cannot understand what she meant that day, but one thing i definitely understand is that she wants her family to thrive, to be peaceful and loving and safe. she wants us to grow up happy and healthy so that she can see us alive and well.

 and it may take long but sometime, far in the future. these troublesome children of yours will repay your motherly love

[dapotatocorner]

Courage

Courage, One word that means a lot Courage, A trait all wish to have Courage, A Trait i do not have Worried, worried about the consequences. Worried about the failure that may happen if you tried Anxiety, is what happens later on. What stops you dead on your tracks and forbids you to move on Fear, Fear of the uncertain future. and what may happen. And lastly. Failure, Failure due to inactivity. Courage, a trait i wish to have. yet i sit here lazily scared of the Future and what may change.

[dapotatocorner]

potatow, potato  its all the same