Cinema 5

Merde! (Major spoiler)

2010-05-28T00:57:00.000-07:00

Guess who makes a surprise appearance in [REC]2?

New Blood

2010-05-16T04:20:00.000-07:00

So, I have again decided to inject some life into my online billboard. It's interesting when you try to analyse (not that you or anyone would for that matter) my blog lifeline; you will probably notice how it has sudden bouts of activity and long periods of dormancy, pretty much like volcanic activity really. I think that actually says a lot about my attention span and level of interest in something.

Anyway, I think this is a great time to start (again).

Sob-worthy

2009-07-22T23:31:00.000-07:00

manda 8 @ Yahoo! Video

Padma

2009-04-02T18:39:00.000-07:00

Damn. How can Salman Rushdie walk away from this?

Away We Go

2009-03-31T15:05:00.000-07:00

Excited to see this!
Maya Rudolph!
Allison Janney!
Written by Dave Eggers!
John Krasinski from The Office!
Sam Mendes doing comedy!
That song by Alexi Murdoch in the trailer!

So Much Has Happened In A Week

2009-03-26T12:17:00.000-07:00

This week:

I started driving alone: something that I found was convenient.
I had my first major car issue: losing my rear brakes while driving on a highway in pitch black darkness, which was inconvenient, not to mention flat-out scary.
I had my first major car survival lesson, which I realized is the same as with any disaster: don't panic.
And corollary to that: even when you see smoke billowing from your tyres, even when you hear metal to metal scratching into each other when you attempt to accelerate, and even when you have to start pumping your brakes 10 seconds away from a full stop.
I also realized that I'm a better and braver (or stubborn and careless, you can look at it either way) driver than I thought: instead of pulling over at the first sign of car trouble, I decided to plow my way through until I reach my destination, relying on Daytona/GT-developed instincts of maneuvering a car through bends and intersections with only the front brakes working but barely as they were also about to give way.
I also realized that it is essential to always bring at least a litre of water when you are driving a 30-year old car: a 350ml bottle of mineral water can only do so much to cool down an oozing tyre.
I had my first towing experience and towtruck trip: which was I thought would be exciting, but was uneventful.

Globalized

2009-03-06T11:36:00.000-08:00

I have been asked if I was born in the US most of the time because of this accent.
Other times, I have been asked if I was Canadian, or with one Italian lady, if I was from the south of France.
I have been mistaken as Chinese, Thai, and even Cambodian.
A lot of times, I have been stopped in the streets by Asian people (most of them Vietnamese, I think) trying to talk to me in their own language.
I have been greeted "Happy New Year, brother!" by Caucasians on Chinese New Year.
I have been thought of as Italian because of my name. Additionally, people here like spelling my name "Domenic" and pronouncing my surname "Dio-che-ra".

Just earlier, as I was paying for some shoes, I was asked if I was American because of my foreign accent.

I said, No, I'm actually from Canada.

O 'di ba, pinangatawanan.

Can't Wait!

2009-02-18T11:34:00.000-08:00

Yes! Yes!

Shrine of Remembrance/Royal Botanic Gardens/NGV

2009-02-17T23:09:00.000-08:00

Another turista day today!

Spent the whole day visiting a few tourist hotspots here in Melbourne. First went to check out the Shrine of Remembrance which was erected for the Australian war heroes.

Inside the sanctuary of the shrine, we can see the stone of remembrance with the words "God Love Hath No Man" etched on it. On the 11th day of November every year, at precisely 11AM, the sun's rays beam on the word love.

Reaching the balcony, one is presented with a good view of the Melbourne city skyline. Located right beside the Shrine is the Royal Botanic Gardens.

I then went to the National Gallery of Victoria, which is 4 tramstops away from the Botanic Gardens.
I saw a Rembrandt!
There were sections for European and Asian art, contemporary, and international. I particularly liked the contemporary design section where furniture pieces are on display.

I found a Globe chair! How retro.

There's also an Andy Warhol self-portrait on display.

Next spot to visit: the Australian Center for Moving Images (ACMI) where famous movie production sets are on exhibition.

Defining Hysteria

2009-02-17T09:34:00.000-08:00

What Was I doing When I Was 13?

2009-02-14T14:57:00.000-08:00

....I don't remember, but it sure as hell wasn't making babies.

Stop-Motion Dream

2009-02-12T10:43:00.000-08:00

Nasa Museo, Parang Bata

2009-02-06T00:56:00.000-08:00

Naku, I forgot about this post. Got stale in my Drafts. So I'm posting this tiny bit for now and update it later.
____________________________

Had a free afternoon last Wednesday, so I went to the Melbourne Museum! But before that, I visited heaven once again for my dose of salvation. Bought Alain De Botton's Essays In Love and I decided against buying Bernard Schlink's The Reader because I didn't like the movie poster cover. Good thing I strolled along Brunswick St., which was near the Carlton Gardens and where odd shops abound, and found a fairly cozy secondhand bookshop with a good selection of Asian literature and philosophy books. It was there that I saw and bought an old copy of The Reader being sold for $10.

Bagong-gupit

Johnny Bravo

The Reading Reader

2009-02-05T23:46:00.000-08:00

First, watch The Reader please. I actually, and this is one rare occasion that I'm going to admit this, sobbed uncontrollably through the second half of that movie. I think it's due to the lethal combination of books, drama, the Holocaust, and coming-of-age. This year, I believe it's going to be Kate Winslet. I'm not even planning to watch Rachel Getting Married or Frozen River anymore, now that I've seen Doubt, this, and Changeling. I have now added Bernard Schlink's novel in my reading list.

And speaking of my reading list, here are the books beside my bed:

From top:
Alain De Botton's Essays In Love - The one I'm reading now and finding to be a good reading material if there will be a Love and Politics subject.
The Reader by Bernard Schlink - Because of the movie!
The Elegance of The Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery - Renewed interest.
Zoe Heller's Notes On A Scandal - I don't know why but I always reach for this book to bring to the toilet; not that the book's subject is particularly trashy.
The Story of V by C. Blackledge - That vagina book. I found out that there are like 12 pages of pictures, in full color, of the vaj; one full-page photo of a vagina with a child's head sticking out. I never felt more emasculated and thankful.
Lindqvist's Let The Right One In - I will get back to you, promise.
Perfume by Suskind - Random stuff.
Bolano's 2666 - Eff-ort.
Anne Enright's Taking Pictures - Haven't started yet.
Wroblewski's The Story of Edgar Sawtelle - Will only read if I want to zonk out of consciousness.

Doubt and Milk for Dinner/Snoring through Vicky Cristina Barcelona

2009-02-02T23:41:00.000-08:00

Was finally able to watch Doubt, Milk, and Vicky Cristina Barcelona this week. Random thoughts:

1. Doubt is mainly an acting vehicle and the movie doesn't really offer anything more than that.

2. Milk, on the other hand, offers top-notch acting plus amazing storytelling.

3. I can really imagine Natalie Portman playing that Sister James role in Doubt. Why, why, why did she have to decline? Against the principle of celibacy? Naman. This will sit alongside my other major movie regret: Cate Blanchett not playing the Anna role in Closer because she got pregnant.

4. I don't have anything much to say about Vicky Cristina Barcelona other than Penelope is sooo much more sexier than the bland buddies, Rebecca Hall and Scarlet Johansson, and that I didn't get the joke as I was snoozing back and forth tralalaland. So if someone got the joke, please, enlighten me.

5. Because of Doubt, I now have two new favorite adverbs: uniformly (i.e. "But they are so uniformly afraid of you...") and thoroughly (i.e. "What convinced you, so thoroughly...").

6. I wonder, Milk could have been an excellent tool during the Prop 8 debacle in the US. I think the movie was released around that time, I'm not sure. But anyway, the movie so encompasses the plight of the minority and the un- and under-represented; it's not just about the homosexuals, it's about the migrants, the laborers, them.

7. Viola Davis' 11-minute part in Doubt is enough for you to see her character's life, understand her thoughts, and feel for her. That's how heartbreakingly good she is.

Next in line: The Reader, Rachel Getting Married, and Frost/Nixon.

Seven Years Ago...

2009-02-02T22:56:00.000-08:00

I think I posted this photo before. But anyway, I was looking at my jpegs and I just can't help but feel a sudden rush of memories every time I look at this. I don't know, it's just so full of promise, hope, happiness, optimism, the future... It's like we're screaming "We're comin' at ya!" to the world.

Seven years. And now we all have our own lives. None of us are married or have kids yet pa naman. (Hahaha I can't imagine any of us having kids at this point). But still, I know na we now have our own responsibilities, actual life goals, career plans, 'yun nga, lives.

This was shot in Munting Buhangin in Batangas in 2002, the morning to celebrate the end of our 3-day Bivouac. From L-R: Ivan, Me (Yes, that's me! Hahaha), Marian, Monique, Laarni, Guian, Kathlyn, Jem, Camille, Tommy, and Paul.

Forever

2009-02-02T14:09:00.000-08:00

So You Think You Can Dance Australia has started! :D

Dom Says...

2009-01-22T08:54:00.000-08:00

Oscars Ibagsak!

How can you snub Sally Hawkins???

Marital Showdown

2009-01-18T10:44:00.000-08:00

I have just seen Revolutionary Road and yes, I snored through some parts of it.

But, that "I hate you" scene is amazing. And I can understand why Winslet won that GG. But DiCaprio is sooo good in it too that that scene was enough to wake me up and finish the movie snooze-free (That's not saying much though since that scene happens ten minutes before the movie ends).

Now, I need to see Doubt and Rachel Getting Married.

Quitting Will Cost You

2009-01-16T03:36:00.000-08:00

And so I have decided once again to quit inhaling cancer. In exchange though, I promised myself that I am going to distract myself with other less suicidal activities.

Like, buying stuff.

So the Apple App Store looks like a candy shop everytime I pay a visit. I drown my iPhone with stuff like iFog, iBonsai, Koi, PacMan, TouchPhysics, Monopoly, and even inane and useless (to me, at least) apps like IAmAMan, which interestingly syncs your calendar with your girlfriends' (yes, plural according to the App Info) menstrual cycles: kind of an Apple way of scheduling the nasty.

I indulge in food. Types of cheese, particularly.

I splurge on DVDs and books, now with less guilt since I feel like I deserve it.

The Awards Season/Golden Globes

2009-01-16T03:15:00.000-08:00

Okay, just some notes from the recently concluded Golden Globes.

8. Demi Moore looked waaaay hotter than Rumer Willis.

9. I love the Sally Hawkins win. I just noticed though how she seemed to have a weird body structure; she looked like someone who was born prematurely.

10. Hurray for Kate Winslet! I still think Revolutionary Road is movie-fied boredom though. But The Reader looks really interesting.

11. I felt like dancing everytime Jai Ho started to play. Hurray for Slumdog!

12. Freida Pinto stood out.

13. Kamusta naman ang pseudo-tortured artist speech ni Colin Farrell?

14. Tina Fey can rule the galaxy. "Cougar-Letter, you can suck it!"

15. Related to that, Tracy Morgan's "I'm the face of post-racial America...Deal with it, Cate Blanchett!" is gold.

16. More Ricky Gervais in award shows please!

17. Sacha Baron Cohen's jab at Madonna was awkwardly hilarious. It was so funny to see a cut to Salma Hayek's jaw dropping while Drew Barrymore laughed her head off in the background.

18. What's up with Vicky Cristina Barcelona winning over Happy-Go-Lucky? Even their actors didn't think they'd win, what with Penelope the only one out of the foursome to show up.

- TBC

LOL Clip Of The Day

2009-01-15T16:30:00.000-08:00

New Books

2009-01-14T00:50:00.000-08:00

Okay, I had a free day last Tuesday; free time which I decided to spend in Wonderland (Dymocks along Collins St. in the city).

I finally bought a copy of Lindqvist's Let The Right One In, and so far it's a page-by-page version of the movie except for the more pronounced emphasis on the relationship between Eli and her 'familiar', Hakan, and Hakan's character development.

I also bought a copy of Mario Vargas Llosa's The Bad Girl upon a recommendation from a reliable friend.

Also bought The Story of Edgar Sawtelle because a gazillion people are raving about it. But I've stopped after a few chapters because it's too middle-America for me. Hahaha.

And just because they're on sale, I got Anne Enright's collection of short stories, Taking Pictures, and Catherine Blackledge's The Story of V, which is basically about the vagina; it was actually a bitchy, WASPy, stuck-up classmate who kind of introduced me to it to "significantly reduce your chauvinist tendencies disguised as rotten chivalry"; I swore to God I'll never offer her my seat again, friggin' female eunuch. Germaine Greer istatyu?

Hello Marlboro, it's me again...

2008-06-09T18:37:00.000-07:00

After six months of being nicotine-free, I relapsed.

Never mind that one pack of cigs cost $12 here (abominable!) and that various government warnings with matching grotesque imagery come with every pack. This cancer stick helped me through college... It has been quite a long intimate affair and I now realize how unfair I have been in unceremoniously getting rid of C-stick last December.

Now, if only I can have all my perennial yosi-buddies with me while I take a hit and puff... Home.

This is talent!

2008-06-02T20:01:00.000-07:00

Britain's Got Talent 2008 winner, George Sampson. Breakdancing kid. Ang galing ng performance! I'm embedding the semi-final performance though since mas malakas yung ulan dito compared to his finals performance. Hahaha.

Tag along - cont.

2008-06-02T02:34:00.000-07:00

5. I have my share of stupid acts as a kid.

Out of boredom, I once stole a rosary from National Bookstore Q. Ave. Hahahaha, wft right? Stealing a rosary.

I got so enamored with elemental mercury that I played with it nonstop for several days, never realizing how toxic that was until a year ago. So, I guess I'll just prepare for a future of neurological disorders.

I got so lazy in Math in elementary that when I was in Grade 5, I was still doing Grade 4 maths and I only finished my Grade 4 maths when I entered Grade 6. So, I literally had a year of backlog in math requirements in my final year of primary school. Fortunately though, I had the most wonderful, understanding, and considerate Grade 6 math teacher who absolved me of my math sins and gave me a clean slate to start anew.

I again encountered this problem with backlogs in senior year in high school. By January, I was all ready to graduate since I was almost done with the requirements. Except for PE. Specifically, swimming. Now, that would've totally sucked if I wasn't able to graduate because I refused to actively plow my way through the pool. But my PE instructor sternly told me that that would have to be the case since I haven't completed my swimming skills since Grade 5. And so, for my remaining days in high school, I have been a fixture at the school pool. I was all alone, learning my freestyles, backstrokes, butterflies, and treading. (Actually, there was a day when my HS friends joined me for fun.) And all my HS teachers cheered me on/mocked me whenever they happened to pass by the pool and saw me clinging on to the pool gutter. I will never forget how I cried after having done a decent butterfly, the last swimming skill required. That's experience.

6. I am an extremely boring person. Yes, and I don't find anything wrong with that. Except when I become bored with being bored. That's when I try to do un-boring stuff which are actually considered boring still by others. Like looking at bookshelves. Hahaha. And for more examples of boring-ness, I remember, my all-time favorite computer game is Harvest Moon, which is essentially a farming RPG. Farming. Hahahaha. How fun is that? Milking cows, shearing hedges, attending town festivities with my homegrown goods in tow. Fun fun. And Grand Theft Auto, but I won't complete the tasks. I'll just run around the city, shooting and flamethrower-ing everyone.
________________________________

Grabe. This requires more effort than I thought. For that, I'll continue 7 - 10 next time.

Tag along

2008-06-01T02:33:00.000-07:00

You know the rules.

Here goes:

1. I always felt that I have an undiagnosed case of autism. Here's a list of symptoms: May not want to cuddle or be cuddled? Check. Inability to initiate or sustain conversation? Wahahaha check!!! I'm sure someone could testify to that. Difficulty expressing needs and wants, verbally and/or nonverbally? Oh my god. This list is so talking about me. Check! Preoccupation with parts of objects or a fascination with repetitive movement? Check! With pens, switches, keys, fingers, toes... hanggang dyan na lang, dangerous when talking about body parts.

2. I think models are God's gift to mankind. It started with Milla Jovovich, pre-Hollywood. Then Liya Kebede and Carmen Kass. And of course, Gisele Bundchen. And then I had a young-girl-looking phase in which I got fixated with Natalia Vodianova and Gemma Ward. And now, it's all about Agyness Deyn, Doutzen Kroes, and Lisa Cant (Leighton Meester look-a-like). If I get a chance to see them though, I think I won't talk to them, nor get anywhere near them. I'll treat them like art. Appreciate them from afar. And I'd be totally TOed if they speak or do anything human-like.

3. I still believe that extraterrestrial life forms exist. And apparently, the Vatican recently released a statement saying that the existence of ET and friends does not contradict faith in God and that dismissing the possibility of alien life actually limits God's "creative freedom". Not that this matters though to my fervent belief in alien life; I just find it amusing. Just imagine how hysterical this would sound to your average devout/zealot who'd rather die than be told that he came from chimps; he'd totally go bananas (pun intended).

4. I'm suffering from a chronic disability to complete lists. So, I will finish this off some other time.

On knowledge

2008-05-23T15:25:00.000-07:00

I once read this story about the Middle Eastern potentate.

He called all the wise men in his kingdom and said, "I want you to gather all the world's knowledge together in one place so that my sons can read it and learn." The wise men went off and came back a year later with 25 volumes of knowlege. The potentate said, "It's too long. Make it shorter." So the wise men went off for another year and came back with one volume. The potentate, still dissatisfied, said, "No. Still too long." The wise men went off for another year and came back with just one sentence on a piece of paper.

It read: This too shall pass.

I'm holding on to that at the moment.

Napagtripang sagutan

2008-05-14T01:06:00.000-07:00

Level 1
(x) smoked a cigarette
(x) smoked a cigar
( ) done weed
(x) drank alcohol

SO FAR: 2

Level 2
(x) been in love
(x) been dumped
(x) shoplifted
( ) been fired
(x) been in a fist fight

SO FAR: 3

Level 3
( ) snuck out of the house (no need...)
(x) had feelings for someone who didn't have them back
( ) been arrested
( ) made out with a stranger
( ) gone out on a blind date

SO FAR: 5

Level 4
(x) had a crush on an older person
(x) skipped school
(x) slept (not sex) with a co-worker (ano 'to, as in roommate ganon?)
(x) seen someone/something die (Haha ako pa ang cause of death. Whenever my eldest brother and I had a fight, I put ethanol in his hamsters' drinking tubes. Bye bye hamsters.)

SO FAR: 8

Level 5
(x) had/have a crush or liked on one of your friends
( ) been to Paris
( ) been to Spain
(x) been on a plane
(x) thrown up from drinking (Nearly died, ganon?)

SO FAR: 11

Level 6
(x) eaten Sushi
( ) been snowboarding
( ) met someone BECAUSE of myspace
( ) been mosh pitting

SO FAR: 13

Level 7
( ) been in an abusive relationship
(x) taken pain killers
(x) love/loved someone who you can’t have
(x) laid on your back and watched cloud shapes go by
( ) made a snow angel

SO FAR: 17

Level 8
( ) had a tea party
(x) flown a kite
(x) built a sand castle
(x) gone puddle jumping (Oya!!! Remember our APSM Amazing Race, masasabi bang nagpuddle jump tayo nung muntik ka ng madulas sa baha in front of Econ???)
( ) played dress ups

SO FAR: 21

Level 9
(x) jumped into a pile of leaves
( ) gone sledging
(x) cheated while playing a game
(x) been lonely
(x) fallen asleep at work/school

SO FAR: 25

Level 10
(x) used a fake/someone else's ID
(x) watched the sun set
(x) felt an earthquake
(x) killed a snake (I saw one before sa banyo, I thought uod. So ang ginawa ko, I squeezed toothpaste all over it. Kung uod sya, it'd have gone ballistic since sensitive ang skin nila. Eh hindi. Dun ko nalaman na ahas pala. So I put a shave over it and repeatedly stomped on it. Ayun namatay.)

SO FAR:28

Level 11
(x) been tickled
(x) been robbed/vandalized
(x) robbed/vandalized someone
(x) been misunderstood
( ) pet a deer

SO FAR: 32

Level 12
(x) won a contest
( ) been suspended from school
( ) had detention
(x) been in a car/motorcycle/4-wheeler accident (Yes, at 2AM near SM Cubao. Going home from EK with my HS friends. Haaay adventure.)

SO FAR: 29

Level 13
( ) had/have braces
( ) eaten a whole tub of ice cream in one night
(x) had deja vu
( ) danced in the moonlight

SO FAR: 33

Level 14
(x) hated the way you look
(x) witnessed a crime
(x) pole danced (Hahaha halos lahat ata ng APSMers eh nagpole dance na one way or another sa pole sa tambayan...)
(x) questioned your heart
(x) been obsessed with post-it notes (Counted ba ang electronic post-its?)

SO FAR: 37

Level 15
(x) squished barefoot through the mud
(x) been lost
( ) been to the opposite side of the world
(x) swam in the ocean
(x) felt like you were dying

SO FAR: 41

Level 16
( ) cried yourself to sleep
(x) played cops and robbers
(x) recently colored w/crayons/colored pencils/markers (Counted ba ang doodles on readings? Haay hindi na ako nagbago...)
(x) sang karaoke
(x) paid for a meal with only coins (Hahahaha I always pay cab fares ng puro 5-peso coins too. Nakakamiss...)

SO FAR: 45

Level 17
(x) done something you told yourself you wouldn't
(x) made prank phone calls
(x) laughed until some kind of beverage came out of your nose
( ) kissed in the rain

SO FAR: 49

Level 18
( ) written a letter to Santa Claus
( ) been kissed under a mistletoe
(x) watched the sun set with someone you care/cared about
(x) blown bubbles
(x) made a bonfire on the beach

SO FAR: 53

Level 19
(x) crashed a party
( ) have traveled more than 5 days with a car full of people
(x) gone roller-skating/blading
(x) had a wish come true

SO FAR: 56

Level 20
( ) worn pearls
( ) jumped off a bridge
( ) screamed "you suck" in class
( ) swam with dolphins

SO FAR: 58

Level 22
( ) got your tongue stuck to a freezer/ice cube
( ) kissed a fish
(x) worn the opposite sex’s clothes
(x) sat on a roof top

SO FAR: 60

Level 23
(x) screamed at the top of your lungs
( ) done/attempted a one-handed cartwheel
( ) talked on the phone for more than 5 hours (I hate talking on the phone.)
(x) stayed up all night

SO FAR: 64

Level 24
(x) picked and ate an apple right off the tree
(x) climbed a tree
(x) had been in a tree house
(x) are scared to watch scary movies alone

SO FAR: 67

Level 25
(x) believe in ghosts
(x) have/had more than 30 pairs of shoes throughout your life
( ) gone streaking
( ) gone to jail

SO FAR: 69

Level 26
(x) played chicken
(x) been pushed into a pool with all your clothes on
(x) been told you're hot by a complete stranger (Awkward.)
(x) been easily amused

SO FAR: 72

Level 27
(x) caught a fish then ate it
(x) almost drowned in a pool (I swear, I thought I was going to die.)
(x) caught a butterfly
(x) laughed so hard you cried
(x) cried so hard you laughed

SO FAR: 77

Level 28
( ) mooned/flashed someone
( ) had someone moon/flash you
(x) cheated on a test
(x) forgotten someone's name
(x) slept naked
( ) French braided someone’s hair
( ) gone skinny dipping in a pool
( ) been kicked out of your house

SO FAR: 79

Level 30
(x) rode on a roller coaster
(x) went scuba-diving/snorkeling
( ) had a cavity (Proud ako dito.)
(x) black-mailed someone
(x) been black mailed

SO FAR: 84

Level 31
(x) been used
(x) fell going up the stairs
( ) licked a cat
(x) bitten someone
(x) licked someone

TOTAL: Kakatamad magtotal.

Repost this with:

''I've done ___ out of 144 stupid things"

On (premature) aging

2008-05-10T02:19:00.000-07:00

The first time it happened, I was asked if I was my aunt's husband.

The second time, I asked someone to approximate my age: early 30s daw. (Upon correcting her: Oh, really? Seriously. It's not because of your looks though; it's more... It's the way you speak, act, you know... BS.)

Just this morning, I was asked if I was my aunt's (different aunt) brother.

Shit. Either people here in Melbourne have poor perceptual skills on aging or I'm quickly turning into The Picture of Dorian Gray.

FYI

2008-05-08T18:29:00.000-07:00

"In a tribe on the island of Santa Maria, old men used to stand by with bows and arrows and shoot every dancer who made a mistake. The perfect way to raise the stakes on American Idol."
- The Know-it-all, AJ Jacobs
______________________

Hahahahahaha. Can't help but imagine this happening on every talent show. That'd be cartoonishly hilarious!

Watch, read, and listen

2008-05-05T02:08:00.000-07:00

1. The Last Shadow Puppets - Age of the Understatement
Alex Turner from the Arctic Monkeys and someone from The Rascals! Woohoo!

2. Juno OST
It's been more than 2 months now, but I still can't get over this...

3. Shannon Noll - Lift (The Biggest Loser)
It's the theme from The Biggest Loser, the most inspiring reality show ever! Hahaha. Seriously! If you can just see how major the contestant's transformations have been after barely three months. You won't even recognize them. Parang you'd think na they were just wearing fat suits when they entered the competition. Unbelievable! I was totally rooting for Allison, pero she lost out to Sam. But that's okay.
And because of this show, napupurga na ako sa kakakain ng Burgen! (Non-stop Burgen ads during commercial breaks so bentang-benta) I tried Burgen Rye, Burgen Pumpkin Seeds, Burgen Mixed Grain, and Fruit and Muesli! I don't feel anything changing though... Ohhh right, I have to conjunct it with working out pala... Nah, Burgen na lang!

4. Paula Abdul's blooper on AI
Classic. Everyone was probably thinking: Is she high? Drunk? Both? I'm thinking Paula's doing fine... It's just menopause.

5. The Know-it-all - A.J. Jacobs
One man's quest to trudge through Encyclopedia Britannica. How exciting is that? Apparently, he felt he was slowly being sucked into dumbness so he decided to be the smartest man in America. How? By reading through 33,000 pages (44 million words) of information. I can't say much though since I'm still on page 11. But so far, he has discussed stuff from a-ak to amethyst.
This reminds me of David Denby's Great Books which I finished reading in the GenRef section of the Main Lib in UP. (I couldn't borrow it out since it's in the Ref section, so I patiently leafed through the pages in the library throughout my first semester ever in UP. That says a lot about how exciting I was... or am... Hahaha) Anyway, Denby's book is about him going back for a semester at Columbia to revisit the Great Books (from Plato to Woolf). The maturity that goes with aging had a profound effect on his interpretations or understanding of these literary institutions so it gave the experience a deeper sense of re-exploring and learning.
Hmm... Which makes me think... Siguro in my 40s, I'll do something like that... Like, reread my old illustrated Bible stories from Adam to the Second Coming. Hahaha.

On big brother

2008-04-29T01:06:00.000-07:00

Okay, so I've been following PBB Teens Plus and here are my observations:

1. Tita Anna does look like a Simpson.

2. In macho language: Nagkakayarian na sa Bahay ni Kuya! Andyan si Nicole and Josef (seriously, look at Nicole's eyes when she's eyeing Josef and you'll see what hibang sa pag-ibig looks like). Sumasama din si Beauty (aka Annabelle Rama, Jr.) and Alex, Jolas at Priscilla, and Valerie at Ejay.

3. The funniest moment:

(Alarm going off)
Linda: Si Ate Priscilla hindi magigising... (or something to that effect)

Somehow the housemates didn't find that funny. Iba kasi 'pag may kapatid kang deaf; we grew up having all these deaf jokes... Hahaha baaddd...

4. Bakit parang nagbre-breakout ang mga housemates?
_________________________

Big Brother Australia's about to start. As my uncle puts it, ang Big Brother daw dito ay "bomba" (Hahahaha bomba.. so 80's). Mapanuod nga...

On speeches

2008-04-28T18:31:00.000-07:00

Got this from Peyups (courtesy of bampira): transcript of Marione Ozaeta's speech sa CSSP grad. Parang mas nagandahan ako sa speech na 'to kesa dun sa speech nung nagdeliver ng valedictory address sa university graduation this year. Sana ito na lang yung sa univ grad, mas pasok sa centennial celebration ng UP. Maski ako naka-relate... Feeling centennial grad hahaha. :D
_____________________________________________________

Graduation Speech
University of the Philippines - College of Social Sciences and Philosophy Recognition Ceremony
April 26, 2008
University Theater, University of the Philippines-Diliman, Quezon City

Good afternoon to our honored guest, Dr. Jaime Galvez-Tan, to our dean, Dr. Zosimo Lee, to our college secretary, Dr. Aurora Mendoza, to our department chairs, faculty members, parents, friends, and fellow graduates.

This is it. My beloved friends, my fellow bright-eyed graduates, this is it. After four or more years of learning and working and trying, we are finally at the end, or in another sense, the beginning.

Apat na taon o mahigit nang nakararaan, pumasok tayo sa unibersidad na punong-puno ng pananabik; may kaunting kaba ngunit hindi natin pinansin. Inisip natin: ano kaya ang UP? Paano ang buhay ng isang Iskolar ng Bayan? Ngayon, alam na natin ang mga sagot. Ito ay isang kaalaman na hindi maipapaliwanag, hindi kailanman maiintindihan ng isang hindi naging Iskolar ng Bayan. Ang pagiging mag-aaral ng UP ay higit pa sa pagsakay sa Ikot o pagkain ng isaw, higit pa sa pagsama sa rally o pagmumuni-muni sa Sunken, higit pa sa mga sikreto ni Oble o mga kanta ng carillon. Ang sari-sarili nating mga kwento nitong mga nagdaang taon ang bumubuo sa isang
karanasan na hindi mababawi at hindi matatawaran.

We are the story of UP. This story tells of our trivial heroisms from day to day, our thought-laden and thought-vacant decisions, our unwavering trust in this institution of liberty. In our years of study and work, we did not give up. It may seem like so long ago now, but when we were on the verge of failing Math 17, when we were frozen stiff while defending our research, while we were dehydrated and dead-tired throughout manual enlistment, we did not give up.
We are no stranger to thirty-hour days or ten-day weeks. We have been there and we have done that. University life was not easy at all and university life is not just classroom life. There are real problems, real injustice, real tragedies. But look at us now. We have toiled and we have triumphed. Hindi ugali ng taga-UP ang manghina, ang mawalan ng pag-asa, at lubayan ang problema. Taas-noo si Oble, mata sa langit at mukha sa kapwa.

Now, we stand as the centennial graduates, the marker for one hundred years of the University of the Philippines, the brightest, the boldest, the best. We will be watched. We will be scrutinized. Our success or our failure will no longer be ours alone but the university’s as well. Ten, thirty, fifty years from now, we will ask ourselves, did we live up to that noble name? With no doubt in my mind, I tell you that we will. We will seek the undoable, unthinkable, un-
attainable and we will prevail. Hindi kapalaran ng taga-UP ang mabigo, ang matalo, ang magkulang. Nakatindig si Oble, malakas, makisig, marangal.

And so beside Ninoy Aquino’s name, write your name. After our college’s greats, Enriquez, Salazar, and Covar, lay your contribution. Upon Bernal and Brocka’s art, create your own masterpiece. This is what history will hold. Our names will be forever engraved in thetradition of this historic institution. And as sure as the destiny of our foreparents, the power of
knowledge, and experience, and sheer excellence will prevail. We will not only succeed, we will surpass. Hindi katungkulan ng taga-UP ang lumigid sa mundo nang walang tagumpay, kimi ang galing, at tago ang talino. Nakalantad ang mga bisig ni Oble, handa sa lahat ng pagsubok, handang ibigay ang lahat para sa kanyang bayan at mundo. Tayo ay Iskolar ng Bayan at taglay natin ang tagumpay na naghihintay makamit.

With this in mind, I urge you, compel you, demand you to make this world better. A lot of people will tell you to make a difference in your own little way, to find your own little niche and work hard at it, head down, and hands busy. I tell you different. I tell you to scorn that “own little way” because that is not the destiny of the UP graduate. It is not our future to make little changes or little triumphs. It is our duty to create big victories, make big decisions, to change the world in a big way. We are the centennial graduates of the University of the Philippines. We will make our people dream again.

Many people deserve their due thanks, our parents, teachers, administrators, friends, and fellow graduates. However, gratitude is gravely anticlimactic when juxtaposed to the level of effort and dedication these people have given us. They do not deserve our thanks. They deserve better. What they deserve is the full fruition of their deeds. And so today I ask them, and the
rest of the world with them: wait. For some of us, it won’t be long, for some, maybe decades still, but always it will come. Wait for that astounding glory, that cherished success, that inspiring innovation. This batch will not only make you proud, we will make you believe. This batch will give you reason to hope again. And with this collective hope, this unbreakable belief in the future of our people, I promise you that we will not only progress, we will prosper.

Batch 2008, the UP centennial batch, let us make true this fervent promise, one that has been forged in our destiny by the sheer virtue of being an Iskolar ng Bayan. Let us take hold of our own strengths, pursue our own dreams, and never forget that with us lie the dreams of our people. Let us seize what is rightfully ours, what is due to our country, what is good for the world.
We stand as vanguards of liberty, democracy, and dignity for our country. Now, we nod graciously to those who have come before us, fellow children of the University, servants of the country. For one hundred years, they have stood proof of the power we hold in our hands. Let us say today with excitement, responsibility, and joy, as the country watches, as the world awaits, ‘it’s our turn now!’.

It has been an honor to have known all of you. We will see each other again in a more glorious Philippines.

Mabuhay ang Unibersidad ng Pilipinas, mabuhay ang Iskolar ng Bayan, mabuhay tayong lahat!

MARIONE ALLEN “Ione” ROSALES OZAETA
BA Psychology
Summa cum laude
UP Centennial Graduate
_________________________________________________

To compare, heto naman yung sa univ grad. Got this from her sister's blog.
_________________________________________________

Speech to the 2008 UP Graduates by Gabriela M. Francisco, College of Music BM Voice, Summa cum laude

UP Diliman Commencement Exercises, April 27, 2008

A HEROIC LIFE

My fellow Filipinos:

We tread on hallowed ground. We walk in the company of heroes. Within these same corridors and classrooms that have seen better days, we cram for tests, eat fishballs and tapsilog from Rodic’s, grab a few minutes of much needed sleep. However, we are not alone. Hush a while. Listen. Can’t you feel the lingering presence of martyrs and student activists, the intangible yet undeniable left-over vestiges of genius, youthful idealism and passionate patriotism? Past presidents of the country and National Artists who have since passed away – heroes all, in their own right – are with us still.

One national hero who strikes me as being very U.P. is Apolinario Mabini. I’m pretty sure that had U.P. been in existence back then, he would have been one of the first students or professors lecturing here, living up to his title of being “The Brains of the Revolution.”

The Ateneo had Jose Rizal, and had he lived today, we can picture him sitting in a Starbucks café, surrounded by piles of books and typing away furiously at a laptop. Antonio Luna would have fit right in with the future generals at the PMA. It takes little effort to imagine him dressed in fatigues, huffing and puffing as he jogged up an uphill path in the City of Pines. But Apolinario Mabini is purely U.P. Born to a poor family who could barely make both ends meet, this man has been described by Arthur MacArthur as “a highly educated young man who, unfortunately, is paralyzed. He has a classical education, a very flexible, imaginative mind… He is a dreamy man, but has a very firm character and of very high accomplishments. He would undoubtedly be of great use in the future of those islands.”

Apolinario Mabini wrote in his Decalogue:

“Thou shalt love thy country after God and thy honor and more than thyself: for she is the only Paradise which God has given thee in this life, the only patrimony of thy race, the only inheritance of thy ancestors and the only hope of thy posterity.”

He goes on to say:

“Thou shalt strive for the happiness of thy country before thy own, making of her the kingdom of reason, of justice and of labor: for if she be happy, thou, together with thy family, shalt likewise be happy.”

I choose to share Mabini’s words because I feel that this is what UP graduates need to hear. Written over a century ago, his words still ring true today.

From the very first, beginning with the orientation given us as freshmen and expounded upon in our G.E. classes, our egos have been nourished with sayings such as “We are the best of the best, the crème de la crème.” But always, always, accompanied by the reminder to whom we owe our education: to our country and to our people. I imagine that this held true even a century ago, that professors have unceasingly preached this heady blend of flattery and reminder from the first time UP opened its gates to the best and the brightest of Filipino students.

In generations past, it was relatively easier to pick a side. Nationwide issues weren’t as muddied up as they are now, with hundreds of shades of grey to choose from and no longer simply in black and white. It is no wonder that many students are confused when they come here fresh from the province or that conservative high school, only to find themselves in a melting pot of diverse beliefs and dogmas, with each group having its defenders and detractors, forcing them to CHOOSE! And they must choose a side quickly or remain a fence-sitter, a bystander at the fringes of unfolding history.

A lot of us have experienced the pressure to join rallies and boycott classes, or risk being called “indifferent” and “apathetic.” But such censure is neither fair nor complete if in sticking to one’s studies, by faithfully going to class and attending lectures, by fulfilling the mission given to oneself in the meantime, one always keeps in mind that time spent away from one’s studies is the money of one’s less fortunate countrymen gone to waste.

Showing one’s patriotism isn’t limited to the rallying, the battle cries and the marching on the streets. There is a patriotism of a quieter sort, the patriotism I see in my less fortunate classmates who skip meals just so they can have enough fare money to come to class. There is the patriotism of the athlete from the College of Human Kinetics, who comes to training barefooted, not having enough money to purchase a new pair of shoes, so he can do a good job representing the country in a competition abroad. There is patriotism and courage in hundreds of such UP students who fully appreciate the gift they’ve been given and value their education such that they will not let horrendous traffic, nor floods brought about by typhoons, nor incredible distances, nor any lack of resources to prevent them from coming to school. Such dedication and commitment in the face of adversity cannot be called anything else but “heroic.” This is the heroic patriotism demonstrated by the UP isko in courageously going to school, despite any and all the hardships, garnering excellent marks and graduating at the top of one’s class. But patriotism doesn’t end there. Rather, the true test is how we live our lives AFTER we leave the UP.

One need not look hard nor far for examples of everyday heroism. I see it in our professors, who have forsaken better-paying jobs in order to remain at the UP, mentoring the brightest minds and the brightest beacons of hope for the country. I see it in the brilliant UP grad who goes abroad for higher studies, is given the chance to exchange her visa for a green card, but gives it up to return home so she can spend her most productive years giving back to the country and the people to whom she owes her education. I see it in our parents, who sacrifice greatly so they can pay for the cost of our plates and extra lab fees, sometimes to the point of giving up their dreams so we can have a chance at achieving ours.

In a few minutes, we will be known as UP graduates. We do not have the luxury to choose whether or not to stay in the country, and get paid in paltry pesos when we can be paid the full value of our worth abroad. That choice has already been made for us, and paid for by the blood of our forefathers and the sweat and toil of past generations. From the beginning, our time, and even our very lives, do not belong solely to us. The Filipino people have paid, and paid dearly so we could be educated at the premiere state university. Isn’t it only just that we UP graduates be prepared to do our people the same honor they have shown us?

Like Mabini, others might consider UP graduates paralyzed by circumstance, forced to submit to the tyranny of materialism and the call to migrate abroad in order to have a “better life.”

But, like Mabini, I pray that we learn to rise above the constrictions of fortune, that we do not let the hindrances of our present circumstances dictate the outcome of our future. I pray that, as we leave college and strike out on our own, reaching for our dreams, we do not forget to place our dreams in the setting of home and hearth.

I urge you, fellow graduates and fellow Filipinos, to make this solemn pledge with me to uphold the core values of excellence, leadership and service that UP has instilled in us. Make the commitment, the one I’m swearing to right now, to offer your country and your people, your all… for your country and your people deserve nothing less.

May we all lead heroic lives worthy of the title “Iskolar ng Bayan” conferred on us, and worthy of the name “Filipino.”

(sung) Mabuhay ka, Iskolar ng Bayan… Mabuhay ang pag-asa ng bayan!

A pleasant evening to all.

This will be quick...

2008-04-25T03:32:00.000-07:00

1. Yay for the two Pinoys shown in Britain's Got Talent: Charlie Green and Madonna Decena. But Andrew Johnston's got my vote though.

2. Watch Randy Pausch's Last Lecture in Youtube. There's a book that has been published just recently which pretty much expands his speech. Inspiring. Just a backgrounder, Pausch was a professor in Virtual Reality in Carnegie Mellon. Ironically, he was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer just a month before he presented his "last lecture". The concept of a last lecture is that universities invite their professors to present a "last lecture" with which they can say or discuss things that they would want to leave behind in the assumption that that'll be their last lecture.

3. On AI, I haven't really followed this season. But based on what I've been hearing, looks like it'll be a Davids finale. Archuleta looks and sounds so generic though. At least Cook does some nice rearrangements. And is it just me, or does Brooke White look like Blake Lively (Serena from Gossip Girl)?

4. A schoolmate auditioned for Pinoy idol (her name's Meryl David; if ever she gets thru the "Hollywood round", vote for her ha!) and she's reallly good! She sang Fallin'. She was an in-demand singer in school activities back in HS.

5. Yay for Serbis (by Brillante Mendoza) being included in the list of movies competing in the upcoming Cannes Film Festival!

6. Uh oh! We have an Asian Rice Crisis. Maybe it's time to switch to mais?

7. Wowowee's Hep Hep Hurray segment is a riot. Hinahapo ako kakatawa.

Meeting Emma Chisett...

2008-03-30T14:11:00.000-07:00

I was doing my every-other-day walking last Thursday when I decided to drop by our neighbourhood newsagent to buy some stuff. While I was browsing through the notepads, looking for that Cattleya-like paper, an old lady called out, "Emma Chisett?". I curiously looked around to check who she was talking to, as I previously observed that I was the only person between the aisles. Apparently, she was talking to me, calling out again for Emma Chisett.

Me: I'm sorry, but I don't any know Emma.
Old Lady: No, I meant Em-ma-Chi-sett? The notepad you're holding, Em-maCh-i-sett?
Me: Oh, $2.70.

That's how I met her, that Emma.
_____________________________________________

You know you've become domesticated when the highlight of your Sunday afternoon is successfully weeding the garden and feeling genuinely elated afterwards.
_____________________________________________

"I never realize how much I like being home unless I've been somewhere really different for a while." - Juno

Job Vacancy

2008-02-21T16:17:00.000-08:00

Haha found this on the CareerHub of La Trobe University... Sana mukha na lang akong artista... Hahahaha

__________________________________________________

Film Extras Needed - Spielberg & Hanks produced TV miniseries - Scouting Tomorrow and Saturday!

Employer:

Personal Care/Service - Careers and Employment

Position:

Film Extras Needed - Spielberg & Hanks produced TV miniseries - Scouting Tomorrow and Saturday!

Added:

19-Feb-2008

Closes:

19-Mar-2008

Hours:

Casual

Payrate:

Pay to be advised

Location:

Melbourne

Details

WE ARE LOOKING FOR:

Males
• Aged between 18 - 25 years
• Caucasian, Japanese, Hispanic background
• Slightly built (for scene purposes)
• Must be available first week in March commencing Sat 1 March for 1 to 2 days.
(No shaved heads please for scene purposes)

If you are interested in being a PAID EXTRA all you need is

• Australian residency or working visa.
• Enthusiasm and reliability.

There are
• No lines to learn
• And no experience required.

Audition Details:

Please feel free to come within the specified times listed below

Wed 20 February -> 10 am to 1 pm or 3 pm to 6 pm
Sat 23 February -> 10 am to 12 pm or 2 pm to 5 pm

Address:
Orix Building
Cnr Montague & Thistlethwaite Sts
South Melbourne
(Enter Thistlethwaite St)
_______________________________________________________

Love Letter

2008-02-21T09:46:00.000-08:00

"One or more of your content items was found to be in
violation of Multiply's terms of service regarding
copyrights. We have deleted the item(s). We suggest you do
the same with any other items that may contain copyrighted
material. We reserve the right to cancel your account if we
discover another violation. Here is the list of items which
contained copyrighted material:

*********************************

Thank you for understanding.

Multiply customer service"

So far, 5 times na nilang sinesend sakin yan... So I deleted all the playlists na. :(

Notes (continuation)

2008-02-02T17:44:00.000-08:00

4. I'm slowly learning my way to becoming a family-oriented, home-loving, DIY guy. Let's dissect that:

a) Family-oriented
Back home in Manila, having to face aunts and uncles and other relatives is an uncommon occurence. It has always been me, my parents, my Tita Ann, and my three brothers. That's that. I'm not used to full-blown family affairs; we only had occasional visits from an uncle or an aunt, cousin, etc. And I'm used to that, and I liked it that way. No teleserye-worthy storylines involving mga sanga-sangang buhay ng pamilya please. In here, it's the total opposite. Bye bye social life.

b) Home-loving
In here, when people have nothing to do, they stay home and do some home stuff. That's new to me. Back in Manila, when I have nothing to do, I find ways to get out of the house. My mom used to say, especially during my college days, that my brothers and I treated our house like a dormitory. Boarder daw ako.

c) DIY
Since labor's expensive, it's essential to know how to do stuff yourself so you won't have to call others. So far, here's some chores that I have done/been doing: changing worn washers in the shower knob, mowing the lawn, vacuuming, gardening, doing the laundry, and minor cooking. I feel that I'm slowly being groomed into a father.

5. Leaving your homeland really makes you love it more. It's haunting you but in a good way; it's that feeling that won't let go. I was talking to this group a while back and there's this girl who introduced herself by saying she's part-Chinese and part-Spanish but she was born and she grew up in the Philippines. Huh? Why didn't she just say "Filipino" and get done with it. I was on the brink of asking her, "What does that make you then?" but I thought that's social suicide and I can't afford that considering the current status of my social life.

6. I'm now an avid TFC viewer. And I'm actually enjoying Wowowee now. Hahaha.

**And since my net connection's upload speed sucks, it's way tedious to post some music on my Multiply. But here are some titles which are worth checking out if you have P2P engines: Yael Naim - New Soul, Adele - Chasing Pavements, Sarah Bareilles - Love Song, John Mayer - Say, and Madeleine Peyroux - Getting Some Fun Out Of Life.

Notes

2008-02-02T10:09:00.000-08:00

1. Hoard boxes of Safeguard Pure White when I take a vacation back home. Yes, I'm a Safeguard boy and I can't understand why I can't find any stocks of that here in Melbourne. (Calling Ms. P&G Kat, bakit ganon? Hahaha.) Somehow, I don't feel clean when washing with special-care-for-your-skin soaps; I need my anti-bacterial fix!

2. Sunday means Camberwell Sunday Market Day. One of my favorite spots! It's where I can buy haven't-been-worn clothes for a few dollars or less. Most of the sellers are university students so it's like borrowing a roommate's clothes. (I chanced upon a perfect-fitting suit with the tag still on it and immediately bought it for one dollar!) There are other stuff too like second-hand books, antique furniture, anything! Heaven.

3. Oops, someone just called, aalis na naman ako! Napapagod na ko kakaalis...

To be continued.

:)

2008-01-31T00:27:00.000-08:00

Thank you guys for the text messages. I needed those.

Miss you all! :D

Loving it

2007-12-03T00:12:00.000-08:00

I've finally succumbed.

Bought a new E61i! Yahoooo! I know I wrote that I'd be waiting for an E51, but after tirelessly calling the Nokia Careline hoping to get a teeny weeny bit of an info about when that freakin' phone will be released here in the Philippines and still getting nada, I gave up. (Not that the E61i is my second choice; this was actually my first E-series crush.)

And so far, I'm loving every little thing about E61i! I love the QWERTY keyboard, the wow-worthy screen resolution, and of course the apps!

So far, here are the apps that I've installed:

1. SymTorrent - Woohoo! Give me a WiFi connection and I'm in torrent heaven.
2. Truphone and Fring - for more internet calls!
3. Conversation - Nokia's attempt for a threaded SMS app
4. SMSchat - Cool threaded SMS! Nice layout!

5. PDF+ - an alternative PDF reader. I like this one better because I can choose to wrap texts. In Adobe's Acrobat Reader, I can't do that.
6. MobiReader - for more ebooks!

7. SPODTronic - internet radio!
8. Nokia's default Podcasting app

It also has a nice layout for some ordinary Nokia stuff, like this default music player:

Will post more later!

FreeRice.com

2007-11-30T14:15:00.000-08:00

Found this interesting wesbite: FreeRice.com

The website features a vocabulary game; for every word you get right, you give 20 grains of rice to the United Nations World Food Program (WFP). Cool way of saving the world.

It's addictive.

My phone-to-be

2007-11-25T17:14:00.000-08:00

I am officially in love with the Nokia E51.

Called up Nokia Customer Service, and found out that the SRP of this phone is around P15,xxx. Wow. All those features at that price? And AllAboutSymbian giving it an 8.6? Plus the fact that CNET Asia recently stamped it with an Editor's Choice badge? Sold! (The Quickoffice that's installed is only a viewer though, but hey I found a cracked editor months ago that I think will also run on Symbian OS 9.2. But never mind the office stuff, the one I'm really excited to use is the VoIP over Wifi; I'm hoping it'll work well with Fring and Truphone! Will really come in handy when I'm in tralala-land. Plus there's the SymTorrent that I'm raving about. Plus it already has a Flash player.)

But here's the thing: the CS rep I talked to mentioned that the phone is already available here in the Philippines, but he can't tell me where exactly I can find one. And I scoured all the Nokia stores in the Metro this past weekend, but nada. Haven't tried Greenhills though; will go there this week.

Please Santa. I've been a good boy. Show me an E51.

Conversation of the Day

2007-11-14T20:30:00.000-08:00

from Overheard in New York

----------------------------------------------
Guy: It's just that, well, fucking you didn't live up to my fantasy of fucking you.
Girl (after long pause): Yeah, I guess I can understand that...

--Washington Square Park

Overheard by: Devin
----------------------------------------------

Hahahahahahahaha!

Of chances

2007-11-14T10:38:00.000-08:00

**Some spoilers ahead**

Ayan na, 'eto aminan na: I saw One More Chance last night. And I have to say, I'm pleasantly surprised at nagandahan ako.

Just one thing though (at s'yempre maiintindihan n'yo lang 'to 'pag pinanuod n'yo): The movie should've ended with that scene of him walking away. Para open-ended. Para nandun 'yung chance for the viewers to choose their ending: did they see each other again after 2 years, did he come back for her, naging sila pa rin ba? Though some people might say na 'pag gano'n eh baka bitin. Eh mas maganda kayang dalhin 'yon. Mas gusto ko 'yon kesa sa "and they live happily ever after".

'Yun lang!

.99 Away

2007-10-28T13:52:00.000-07:00

My BMI's telling me that I'm less than a point away from being classified as obese (well, I found out that there are like 3 levels of obesity, and I'm .99 away from the 1st level).

So, I did what a paranoid android fearing for his life would do: I decided to switch to a healthier lifestyle (Naks!).

First, it's now my mission to limit myself to a cup of rice for every meal. Seriously. I know this will be difficult since I grew up knowing by heart the different varieties of rice (and I actually have a favorite: dinorado!; I like milagrosa too, hate sinandomeng; and I don't like my rice "buhaghag". Thanks Dad for the rice education.)

Second, salads for dinner. (That means bye bye to Jonas Pares! I hope to see you again, apologies for our short-lived relationship; I wish I had known you earlier.)

Third, signing up for a gym membership. (Wahahahaha I just accompanied a friend who prodded me to join her "because I really need it". And I did enjoy it (I may have initially looked like a fool in Body Combat, but hey you have to cut a newbie some slack. But my definite favorite is the CineFit: watching movies while running = tolerable.) I found out too after my initial assessment that I have 29lbs of fat to lose. The instructor showed me what a pound of fat looks like and I just wondered: how the flying fuck can 29 of those fit in my body?

Now if I can just have a concept of following through...

Dying On Me

2007-10-23T01:11:00.000-07:00

After 1 year and 9 months, my phone is now exhibiting signs of old age and abuse. I no longer get that "xx messages received" on the screen; the only thing that would tell me if I have a new message is that mini-envelope on the right corner of the screen.

This gives me a perfectly acceptable excuse to buy a new phone.

Hello E61i! :D

Quote of the Day

2007-10-22T18:00:00.000-07:00

Rather than love, than money, than faith, than fame, than fairness... give me truth. - Christopher McCandless, Into The Wild

3 Years Ago

2007-10-22T03:28:00.000-07:00

Was bloghopping when I saw this picture from a friend's (Rania!) blog. Taken three years ago when I took up ROTC for a year as fulfilment to the NSTP requirement. This was our last day, I think. We were about to be dismissed (hence, the bags). That's me on the right, first row. (Well that's me 40lbs. ago.. Grabe ang payatot ko.)

When you're under the sun for 4 hours on a fine Sunday morning, marching, carrying a dummy M14 rifle; when you're group-jogging on a dreary Thursday afternoon around the UP Acad Oval, chanting, and bullying the pedestrians; when you're crawling your way through mud at 2AM with your dummy rifle on your back, kanal-water seeping through your combat boots, and still trying to sleep on the side of the road or on the parking lot, counting stars, spotting constellations, and debating on something like: Is it an absolute truth that there's no absolute truth? while dreaming of opening up your baon of Argentina corned beef, Libby's sausage, and Ma Ling; when you're doing any or all of these twice a week for one whole academic year, I doubt you'll ever forget.

Sure, the cadets eventually failed to stay in touch. But I haven't forgotten the things we did just to keep ourselves entertained while some instructor droned on about churis (Hahahahahaha). Or the stuff we talked about while the commanding officer has his back on us, his company. Or the collective sigh of relief once we're dismissed.

Haaay.

New Addictions

2007-10-19T05:00:00.000-07:00

1. CouchSurfing - Basically, you let someone crash into your couch and let them sleep over until they move on to other destinations, other couches. Reciprocally, you can also couchsurf into other people's homes when you travel. It's a more affordable and definitely more interesting way to travel. The project's still young though but it's slowly getting noticed. I've browsed through some sections and found the different working groups that members can get into to get more involved in the project. When I have time, I'll definitely join one. Right now, I just hang out in the chatrooms and get to know some couchsurfers. One of the first people I talked to is this grandmom from the US who's raising resources to build a school in Ghana; she's been visiting some communities in Ghana already. She's currently preparing for her RTW (that's Round The World for CouchSurf-speak) and getting to know some people from her target destinations.

2. Shelfari - Show your bookshelf online. Plus, it's a growing community where members can discuss their book collections. I spend most of my time building my shelf and looking for some stuff to add on my wishlist. There's this guy who has like 3K plus books on his shelf, and if he's actually read all those books as he claims he has then good for him. Right now though, I'm kind of stuck somewhere between Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norell and The Confessions of Max Tivoli; not to mention some pages into Choke and The Satanic Verses; when I want to rest, I dive into Stainless Longganisa. And I can't seem to sleep soundly unless I get myself copies of The Book Thief and Special Topics in Calamity Physics. But definitely next in line is rereading Atonement in preparation of the movie adaptation sometime in December.

3. Gmail Mobile - I love the interface. Waaay better than accessing Gmail via WAP. I can't help logging in every hour just to check.

4. Oscar Countdowns - It's that time of the year when Quiapo DVDs are suddenly DVD-quality copies of newly released movies - freshly ripped from For Your Consideration screeners. Underdog lovers are raving about Ellen Page's performance in Juno, so that movie's definitely a must-see (plus I can't forget how creepy she was in Hard Candy). The Golden Age doesn't seem to be delivering so I guess that weakened Cate Blanchett's chances; but no worries for she has another movie from which she's getting noticed - the Bob Dylan biopic, I'm Not There. Then there's Atonement (!). And there's this weepy Alzheimer's-themed Sarah Polley-directed movie that's getting all the raves. High expectations too for Lions for Lambs. Good thing too that France chose to submit indie Persepolis, the animated adaptation of a graphic novel of the same title, as its official foreign film entry (Go Marjane Satrapi!) instead of the studio-backed La Vie En Rose (Hello Marion Cotillard as Edith Piaf).

Catching Up

2007-10-19T03:50:00.000-07:00

First: Thanks All for the greetings! I just have so much to be thankful for! Ang saya nitong birthday ko! Definitely one of the most memorable, (for all the right reasons haha)! Yay 21! :)

Second: TV series overload! Grey's Anatomy! (Lexie Love!) Heroes! (Heroes!) Pushing Daisies! (Every episode just doesn't fail to make me smile and feel.. just.. happy.) Private Practice! (Medical Ally McBeal!) ANTM! (Lisa for the win! Die Bianca!) Heck, even PBBCE2! (Will definitely try to catch PBB episodes during weekends! This batch of housemates is by far the most interesting; don't disappoint us Ethel Booba, please don't even try to be boring. Hahahaha)

Third: Will try to write more next time.

Got to go!

Four Months Later... A Change is Gonna Come

2007-09-29T01:12:00.000-07:00

**Heroes and Grey's Anatomy spoilers/ramblings ahead**

Okay, finally saw Heroes' season 2 premiere. Major comment: Was it just because I expected too much or was the season opener kind of blah? But I get it, you can't answer all the questions left hanging by season 1's finale and tie all the loose ends in the opener right? And Heroes is all for character development, so I get it too that we really have to follow those Honduran twins running from the police. (Does Alejandro have a power too and what can Maja do exactly? Blow up people from the inside, causing blood to spurt out of their orifices?)

Hiro's storyline looks interesting. Okay, David Anders (Sark from Alias) is Takezo Kensei and he's a gaijin apparently which kind of blew off Hiro's expectations of the heroic Kenzei. And it seems that Hiro will be doing the heroic deeds for which Kenzei was known for. (Now this is where it becomes interesting (at least for me hehe) because it opens up a discussion on time travel: If it was actually Hiro who did Kenzei's acts and Hiro's dad was telling him stories of the great Kenzei while Hiro was growing up, his (Hiro) dad was just preparing him for the stuff that he was actually destined to do once he knew of his time travelling ability. Nice concept of time...)

Where's Niki or Jessica or whoever she is right now and Mica? I mean, I'm not a fan of the mother and son team-up, but it just bugs me that they weren't even shown on the first episode.

Kind Midas is in the house! Cool cool power.

Molly's the next Lindsay Lohan. Did you just see that girl's attitude? She has enough issues already, what with all the dreaming moaning screaming.

Does Mr. Bennett have an ability? It looks like he does when he twisted his boss' finger and his boss sprawled on the table; that or his boss is just OA.

Claire's got herself a boyfriend. And he flies.

Nathan suddenly becomes an AA-candidate bum? That's how he deals with the aftermath of Peter's explosion in the previous season's finale? What a wuss.

Peter finds himself inside a container. He doesn't remember who he is and he's wearing the helix. (Is this like Jean Grey's transformation into the Phoenix? Hmm...)

-------------

GA's season premiere just went bam! bam! bam! It's nice that they answered all questions from last season's finale. (I wonder how Isaiah Washington is feeling right now? After finding out how he was conveniently killed off GA's storyline: He filed his resignation two months ago.. Hahaha what a footnote.)

Yang and Meredith had a girl-on-girl honeymoon, as Karev puts it. Hahaha.

Thank Jesus Lexie Grey isn't as annoying Meredith. Ang ganda ni Chyler Leigh.

Yang is the new Nazi. Hahaha well at least for me. Everyone of them tries to go Bailey on the interns on their first day but it was Christina who hit the Bailey attitude right on.

Izzie saves a deer's life. Is this a metaphor for her relationship with Bambi (George)?

There's a mention of Karev visiting Ava or Rebecca (whatever she decides her name is).

Bialey's still pissed off about not being the Chief Resident.

George loves Izzie too. Poor Dr. Torres.

Let today be known...

2007-09-24T03:48:00.000-07:00

...as the day I discovered Jonas-Rob Pioneer and ate their beef pares twice - for lunch and for dinner - with two bowls of fried rice in each meal, two orders of pork siomai, yummy chili sauce, and soda.

Ang sarap kumain. Bow.

On anniversaries and parental skills

2007-09-21T17:07:00.000-07:00

A friend and I were talking last night and she mentioned how her parents celebrated their 32nd wedding anniversary this year. She said it was a whole day celebration; starting with her parents going to mass early in the morning, her dad surprising her mom with a new set of wedding rings, them renewing their vows, then they drove off to Tagaytay and just enjoyed the time. I just laughed and sort of joked around, "Didn't they renew their vows when they celebrated their 25th? So they renewed it again?!"

I listened with amusement. I don't ever remember my parents celebrating their anniversary, or at least doing something special on that date. I never even heard my dad greet my mom on their anniversary. For my mom, well she would start the day reminding her ungrateful children that that day is their anniversary, and that she expects these ungrateful, lazy children of hers to do something special for them, and that she has endured xx number of years with her husband, which is I think her own way of greeting my dad a happy anniversary because she usually does that with my dad within hearing distance. Haay mama, twisted twisted sense of humor.

Seeing how my parents deal with each other is like watching a sitcom: punchlines just keep on coming. My dad's not a talker; he'll say a few cryptic sentences which he'll leave up to my mom or to us to decipher. This then makes everything he says open to misinterpretation. Enter my mom, who for every situation she's in or word she hears will have Interpretation A to Interpretation Z. Their discussions usually end up with my dad laughing off at everything my mom says and my mom enumerating the reasons why she should never have married my dad in the first place and that her ungrateful children should at least thank her for giving them the opportunity to see the world. Then they'll go into a tampuhan phase which usually lasts for 2 weeks, at times longer if my mom decides to leave and stay at our resthouse. But these usually end with us, their ungrateful children, being surprised (haay not really) that they're talking to each other again or my dad going off too to our resthouse to fetch my runaway mother. They have always been like this. Chances that they'll be changing this routine in the near future are bleak. They're like kids really, at times we, their ungrateful children, feel we are their parents.
----------------------------------------
My mom loves writing letters. This comes in handy especially now that we seldom catch each other at home. She'll leave reminders and chores posted either on the TV screen or the door of the fridge to make sure these won't be missed. She sometimes scolds us too through her letters. Last night, I came home to see this letter posted on the TV screen, addressed to my eldest brother:
Sept. 21, 2007
Dear Paolo,
Kindly make sure you clean up your cats' poopoo. I don't like
coming home and smelling the stinky smell of your cats' poopoo.
If you can't clean those up, then maybe you should throw your cats
out of the house or I'll throw them out myself.

Take care always and God bless!
Love,
Mama

Verbatim 'yan ha.

I always tell her: Ma alam mo kung bakit hindi ka sinusunod ng mga anak mo? Nakakatawa kasi parang walang sense of authority. Exhibit A: The letter I just posted above. Sige nga, tell me if you follow a directive phrased like that.

Or Exhibit B: How she "scolds" us when we come home early in the morning.

Mama: Palangga*, ano'ng oras ka na namin umuwi? Hindi na kita nakikita. (with Ilonggo accent 'yan ha, which is sobrang malambing)
Dad: Paano susunod 'yan eh pinapangga mo?
Mama: Si baby _______ talaga. Naku, ano'ng mga ginagawa mo... (For her, we'll always be her baby Paolo, baby Bryan, baby Nico, and baby Macky)

*"Palangga", or "pangga", is a term of endearment in Bisaya.

Haay mama.

On TV

2007-09-17T01:26:00.000-07:00

Saw Studio 23's live broadcast of the primetime Emmy awards earlier today. Terry O'Quinn (John Locke) from Lost won as best supporting actor in a drama series (Yay!). And Katherine Heigl as Izzie Stevens won too as best supporting actress in a drama series (Double yay!).

After watching the telecast, I kind of thought of some TV series which I religiously followed in the past. Sadly though, there wasn't one with which I stuck through until the finale (Uh oh, commitment phobia, istatyu? Hahaha.)

Ally McBeal and The Practice both started when I was in Grade 5 I think. But I only got to watch them over RPN9 several seasons delayed. I was still playing with the idea to take up law then as my dad kept on badgering me that that was his life plan for me (Oops, really sorry Dad. Law school? No, thanks.) But Ally McBeal, The Practice, and courtrooms excited me back then. I kind of remembered still this one favorite scene from The Practice where Lara Flynn Boyle's character (Helen) and her co-DA (Richard) were having a quick dinner after a terribly bad day at the courthouse, and thanks to IMDb.com, I got to read the exact dialogue again:

Helen Gamble: I need it, Richard. Give it to me.
Richard Bay: What?
Helen Gamble: The speech. Why we do what we do.
Richard Bay: Oh, I am not really in the mood after...
Helen Gamble: Please, Richard. I 'need' it. Please give it to me. And don't just phone it in.
Richard Bay: Helen...
Helen Gamble: Please! Can't you see how demoralized I am?
Richard Bay: OK. (takes a deep breath) There are heroes in this world. They're called District Attorneys. They don't get to have clients, people who smile at them at the end of the trial, who look them in the eye and say, "thank you." Nobody is there to appreciate the District Attorney, because we work for the state. And our gratitude comes only from knowing there's a tide out there. A tide the size of a tsunami coming out of a bottomless cesspool. A tide called crime, which, if left unchecked will rob every American of his freedom. A tide which strips individuals of the privilege of being able to, to walk down a dark street or take twenty dollars out of an ATM machine without fear of being mugged. All Congress does is talk, but it's the District Attorney who grabs his sword, who digs into the trenches and fights the fight. Who dogs justice day, after day, after day without thanks, without so much as a simple pat on the back. But we do it. We do it, we do it because we are the crusaders, the last frontier of American justice. Knowing that if a man cannot feel safe, he can never, never feel free.
Helen Gamble: Thank you.

That blew me away. Wow.

Then there's quirky Ms. McBeal with good song choices for every episode. I think it was in a season's finale where I saw this gawky kid sing "You're Still You", and I was introduced to Josh Groban. I immediately searched for the song on audiogalaxy.com, which by the way was the streaming substitute of Napster at that time. (Josh Groban sang again in the succeeding season, I think it was post-911, and he sang "To Where You Are". Didn't like it as much as You're Still You though.)

For my sci-fi fix and fixation with ET's, I followed Roswell. Those Roswell kids were for me the coolest ones, way way cooler than the wimps on Dawson's Creek. (Come to think of it, Katherine Heigl was named Isabel in Roswell; in GA, she's Isobel... This is the alien lifeforms' way of controlling Katherine Heigl's career!) Shiri Appleby was cute then. Now? I don't know...have you seen Havoc? Yes, that film where Anne Hathaway took off her clothes to prove she can do un-Disney stuff? Believe it or not, Shiri Appleby was there too. Her longest dialogue was her recounting of how she blew one DJ; wow right? Welcome to the D-list, bye bye career.

Then there's the HBO stuff, stuff which I eagerly saw as a validation of my self-proclaimed maturity. Then the DVD piracy cometh, and access to almost every TV series ever produced became pre-school easy.

The X Factor UK

2007-09-14T21:14:00.000-07:00

Simon Cowell seriously has some all-year-round series of rakets. In the absence of the more popular American Idol franchise, talent search fanatics can content themselves with the likes of Britain's Got Talent (which has already ended by the way, producing opera-singing, mobile phone salesman Paul Potts, who already has an album out, a copy of which can be downloaded through torrent-ial means and also Damon Scott and his miming monkey, Bubbles) and now, my current addiction, The X Factor, on its 4th season. Here are some of my favorite auditions for this season:

She probably has no idea how good she really is. And that's what's really likable about Nicky. With or without the Wish Ko Lang-sob story, her audition'll stick with you. Clean clean voice.

This for me is the perfect audition for someone who has great potential. It's the stuff inspiring movies are made of! As Leon was exiting and Sharon Osbourne asked, "Who were you in with today?" and that kid answered, "I just came in by myself..." with the water works, he just got sold to a million fans.

Talk about an attitude! But you can see he's just pretending to be "cool" by doing all that bouncy walk and thug attitude. And c'mon, he sang a Bobby Darin song! Needs some polishing though. He's still young anyway.

And just for sheer cuteness and for giving me reason to laugh, I'm including Totoshiko as a favorite audition. Wahahahaha. Engrish version of My Way!

Challenge To Be Outraged

2007-09-05T16:00:00.000-07:00

Below is a statement written by a friend. Please read, forward, repost, or make your own statement.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I am just an ordinary student in the university. I did know Cris Mendez personally. But I am personally indignant and outraged by the needless and senseless death of a fellow student and the many others before him: Gonzalo Mariano Albert, Ferdinand Tabtab, Roland Perez, Arbel Liwag, Joselito Hernandez, Rolando Abad, Dennis Venturina, Mark Roland Martin, Alexander Miguel Josef Icasiano, Niño Calinao, Den Daniel Reyes and Marlon Villanueva.

The UP Administration has been condemning the criminal acts leading to these deaths and subjecting the suspected perpetrators of these crimes to due process. Well and good. But thus far, what has been done to prevent these deaths? What are the proactive solutions that the UP Administration has undertaken? Subjecting the suspects to due process would not prevent more deaths. The bruises on Cris Mendez' body hold testament to this. In Philippine legal system which is ridden with fratmen, convictions are unsurprisingly slow and few. Clearly, the issue at hand here is anymore not how to deal with the students who commit these crimes. The issue is how to prevent these deaths.

I'd like to challenge the UP students and the entire UP community to pass on this statement and write your own statements of outrage, or whatever feelings you may have on this issue. Personally, I am at a loss as to why a university such as UP has done nothing after all these senseless deaths. My uninformed guess would be that the university officials, held hostage by congressmen (a great deal of which are obviously fratmen) over the UP budget issue, are too afraid to take action, too afraid to step on the toes of those in high places. Perhaps there may even be too many fratmen among UP officials or in the Board of Regents.

It's high time that UP students speak up against the violence and the fraternities that espouse this culture. Paraphrasing a popular activist quote: kung hindi tayo ang magsasalita at kikilos sa isyung ito, sino pa? Hindi natin kayang asahan ang mga opisyal ng UP, o ang mga abogado o mga kongresista at senador na lumutas ng isyung ito. Kailangan nating pumusisyon.

The only solution I can think of is a collective NO to the culture of violence in fraternities. There should be no more excuses, no more statements like "kasalanan din naman yan ng mga pumapasok dyan" or "pwede naman kasing hindi ganoon kalakas yung mga palo", statements which I have heard from UP students. Hopefully, this expression of outrage would make it harder for fraternities to recruit members for as long as they use hazing as a form of initiation.

I call on other students to pitch in their ideas and feelings about this issue and ACTIVELY CAMPAIGN AGAINST THE FRATERNITY VIOLENCE, in your blogs, e-groups and even written statements for organizations and other groups.

We have run out of excuses.

Let's not be afraid to do our part in putting an end to the deaths of our fellow students and friends.

Mara Baviera
Graduate Student
Department of Political Science

My movie

2007-08-29T15:22:00.000-07:00

Got this from Kate and you can try the test too here

-------------------------------------------------------

Your Score: Alfred Hitchcock

Your film will be 52% romantic, 42% comedy, 48% complex plot, and a $ 51 million budget.

One of the best film directors EVER to exist. Your life must be something special if we're going to dig up Hitch to direct the film version. His films are studies of masterful technique and visual storytelling. He also has six distinct signatures he puts in each of his films, one of them being his fleeting cameo walk-by appearance. I think another one is that the leading man is always wrongly persecuted for something he didn't do, and the leading lady is usually a blonde. He made many more films than just The Birds and Psycho. PLEASE go rent, buy, or view North By Northwest or Vertigo!

My test tracked 4 variables How you compared to other people your age and gender:

You scored higher than 99% on action-romance

You scored higher than 99% on humor

You scored higher than 99% on complexity

You scored higher than 99% on budget

------------------------------------------------------------------

Wow, I like the director ah.. Sosyal.

Of assignments

2007-08-27T00:42:00.000-07:00

I'm doing someone else's assignment.

My aunt emailed me a few weeks ago requesting if I could do her essay for her. Of course, I said yes and happily asked her of the essay's details - topic, format, word count, due date. I blame my mom who pimps me to our family members as someone who can do "your papers, assignments, etc. on whatever topic". I presume the results of these assignments have been satisfactory for they're coming back everytime they need something like a 4,000-word essay on racial discrimination and its implications on employee relations in the workplace. I'm not complaining though, I love papers. And besides, I do enjoy that 'extra' gift every Christmas or birthdays.

And speaking of my aunt's essay, I read this quote from Kofi Annan, in his Nobel acceptance speech, while I was gathering some articles that I'd be using:

“Today’s real borders are not between nations, but between powerful and powerless, free and
fettered, privileged and humiliated. Today, no walls can separate humanitarian or human rights crises in one part of the world from national security crises in the other.”

FYI. My aunt's essay is on the concepts of citizenship and human rights. Which, gladly, is an interesting topic for although these two concepts are distinctly different (whereas citizenship is local and particularistic, human rights are universal), they share certain elements such as their both being entrenched in the 'natural rights' of man. (Attention PolSci majors who haven't taken their 110 or 199 yet, this is an interesting topic for your RRL's or research proposals.)

Anyway, back to assignments. From time to time, I did some friends' assignments too. (For example, I had fun doing plates and drawing stuff for an Arts major friend). Also, I used to do my brothers' assignments. Thinking about it now, maybe it was because I never really had to do any assignments back in elementary and high school because of the non-graded. modular system of learning that my school employed. So, I had fun doing theirs, and obviously they were more than happy to get rid of their school work.

All hail the cheerleader!

2007-08-23T16:52:00.000-07:00

The cheerleader is now of legal age.

Demonoid is open for registration!

2007-08-19T03:03:00.000-07:00

If you're online now and are a torrent-freak, sign up now in Demonoid.com. It's by invitation only but it opens its golden torrent-ial doors from time to time.

Oh no!

2007-08-18T23:53:00.000-07:00

Just read this from a post in the UP Multiply group:

"University of the Philippines System (UP System) goes Smoke Free!

That's protection from Second Hand Smoke to over 51,500 students, 4,000 faculty and 7,900 administrative personnel (and countless guests and visitors) in at least 7 constituent universities located in 12 campuses across the country. This protection also extends to the Philippine General Hospital, the largest public hospital in the Philippines, which has adopted its own smoke-free policies a few years ago.

According to Professor Marvic Leonen, Vice President for Legal Affairs of the UP System, the Administrative Order (AO) for Smoke Free UP was passed 2 days ago following unanimous vote. Students caught in violation of this order will be subjected to disciplinary action. Chancellors are given very stern instructions to implement the said AO.

As you may know, our laws require smoking ban in schools, however, because of the usual enforcement issues, this is not implemented in many universities. This policy is particularly difficult to implement in UP because of the sheer size of its land area and the fact that private residences and local communities are housed inside the big campuses. But with this AO, we have renewed hope that a smoke free UP is possible.

Congratulations to UP and thank you, Professor Marvic Leonen, for giving us a Smoke Free UP!

Let's support UP's smoke free initiatives in any way we can. The successes in UP provides the groundwork for a nationwide smoke free campaign!"

Seriously?!

Oh well.. I'm planning to quit soon anyway...

Of sex scenes and adult content

2007-08-18T22:02:00.000-07:00

I chanced upon this list of Top 50 Sex Scenes in cinema ranked by IFC (No, I wasn't browsing for sex, or porn for that matter, on the internet, I saw the link on IMDb. Uyyy, defensive...) and I can say it was an okay list. There were some which were included surprisingly and some which were snubbed (Later, I will elaborate.)

Now, to put some context: the first, and last if I may add, list of sex scenes from "considerably legitimate" films that I saw was from a US edition of Maxim magazine back when I was in Grade 5. It was, if I remember correctly, aptly titled as The Sex issue. Unfortunately, I no longer have the copy of the said magazine because for lack of materials on a research paper on pornography (Akalain mo 'yun! Hahaha.) which I did for my second year high school English class, I clipped the screenshots of the 50 sex scenes included in the list and pasted them on my paper as 'examples". How my female teacher berated me for including those screenshots, or "grabeng porn" as she preferred to call it, is altogether a different story that I prefer not to expound here. All I'll say is I tried to defend the pictures because they did not really show any private parts - the genitals of the actors and actresses were covered with stars and smilies. God, you gotta give Maxim some props for censorship. Memories.

I do remember some movies included in that list from Maxim. The list was topped by Bruce Willis and Jane March's pool-to-shower-to-bed scene in Color of Night. There was the train scene of Tom Cruise and Rebecca De Mornay in Risky Business, Kyle MacLachlan and Elizabeth Berkley's acrobatic pool scene in Showgirls, that threesome from Wild Things, Madonna pouring melted wax over Willem Defoe in Body of Evidence, Gina Gershon and Jennifer Tilly in the Wachowski Bros.' Bound... There were more, but my memory's failing me. (Oh no, does it sound like it subliminally became my personal quest to watch those movies from that list? Hmm.. I need therapy. Hahaha.)

So back to IFC's list. Of the 50 movies included, I've seen, in parts (Hahahaha!) or in entirety, 22. Some of the notable ones:

a. The Dreamers - When this Bertolucci movie was slapped with an NC-17 rating by the MPAA, it instantly became a must see hahaha. Before Eva Green became Vesper Lynd in Casino Royale, she was allergic-to-clothes Isabelle in The Dreamers. Watch out for that dining room scene...

b. Boogie Nights - Julianne Moore's unforgettable dialogue: "Come, come inside. It's okay; I'm fixed." Or at least, that's how I remember what she said.

c. Being John Malkovich - Maxine (Catherine Keener) only wants John Malkovich when Lotte (Cameron Diaz) is inside John Malkovich's brain, and to add mayhem, Craig (John Cusack) who's Lotte's husband also has the hots for Maxine. Funny and twisted!

d. Team America: World Police - Who said puppets can't have some fun? This, I bet, was a rating nightmare for the MPAA. Imagine: two puppets enacting nearly all imaginable obscenities that can be done between two people. But the thing is these puppets have no genitals. Haha, mockery!

e. Mulholland Drive - I never tried to understand this movie. Never even pretended I understood it. I was just in it for Naomi Watts and Laura Harring. [Applause]

And some which, I was surprised, were not included in the list:

a. Monster's Ball - C'mon! This for me is hands down the best sex scene ever! That couch scene with Halle Berry cooing "Make me feel good.. I. want. you. to make me feel good..." to creepy-looking Billy Bob Thornton who sheepishly replies "I'll make you feel good real bad...". How can they not include this?! And the rumors that Halle and Billy Bob really "did" this scene...that's okay, at least Ms. Berry has an Oscar to shut those rumor mongers up.

b. Last Tango in Paris - They probably did not include this since there's a Bertolucci movie already, but that "butter" scene rippled throughout Marlon Brando's and Maria Scheider's careers. Not to mention their first sex scene in the movie, which I've read somewhere was described by someone as the closest on-screen depiction of Erica Jong's concept of the "zipless fuck" from her novel, Fear of Flying.

c. Original Sin - It's surprising there's no Angelina Jolie movie on the list. Are they trying to do damage control and from now on promote Angelina's UN-mother-of-the-world image? Good thing she did Gia and Original Sin before she decided to keep her clothes on.

Of love stories and chance encounters

2007-08-17T16:59:00.000-07:00

To prove that I am still a supporter of Philippine cinema, I still see a local movie when I think there's a good one showing in theatres. I admit, I am a frequent pirated DVD buyer but I can proudly say that I never, ever, once bought a pirated copy of a local movie.

Okay, now that I got that out, I can now say this, albeit in a hush hush tone: I saw A Love Story last night. Don't laugh.

Err.. because it has a nice trailer...and it's an anniversary offering from Star Cinema... and Star Cinema did churn out some nice string of films in the past...like Kailangan Kita and Milan and...oops, I'm further incriminating myself... Okay, enough. The point is, I paid to see it and I have the right to say what I think about it, which is what I'm going to do now:

First, the movie isn't pure drama. The first hour into the film felt like a mystery/thriller.My friends and I were in synch with this train of thought: Sino'ng kabit? Si Angelica? Hmmm... Hindi parang si Maricel.. Teka, parang mas bagay na kabit si Angelica... Wow, boobs... By the time Angelica Panganiban jumped into a pool with those unclothed salbabidas of hers, we were crying "Enough already!" (of the Search For The Mistress ha, but not of Angelica and pools..).

Second, Angelica Panganiban is still a child, no matter how adult-like she tries to be. Evidence of this is her character's apparent obsession with kindergarten word games. (If you've alreay seen the movie, you can relate to this.) Here's how the game goes, the first person asks a question to be answered by another question by the other person - the one who answers with a declarative sentence is the loser (!). Fun. She plays this game with Aga thrice in the movie. By the third time, when she began by saying, "May alam akong laro...", everyone in the cinema can't help but laugh already. I bet the scriptwriter wanted these "word games" to bear more significance (i.e., ala Demi Moore and Woody Harrelson's "Have I told you I love you?/Not yet./I do./Still?/Always." exchanges in Indecent Proposal). But with Angelica delivering the lines, people probably can't help but think: "Anong oras na? 4:30 na? AngTV na!".

The second part of the movie, after the Search For The Mistress mystery is resolved is pure comedy. By the time Maricel blurted out "You mast be the hasband...", everyone in the theatre was in stitches. I was laughing even before that. I started laughing when the person sitting behind me became so affected in one scene she so captured the essence of it in an expression: "Ay, shit.". While my friends were debating whether the white spots on Angelica's arm are an-an or sunburn, I began wondering of the possibilities of parodies and spoofs that one can extract from A Love Story. If ever there comes a comedy from this, (Hmm.. Probably something like A Lab Story... Wow, how ingenious.), don't watch it - there'll be no difference from the movie it supposedly parodies.

---------------------------------------------

I accidentally met a lot of old friends at the mall last night. As in. It felt like there was a reunion. It's probably because there were no classes, or that work was suspended. But it's crazy. I saw some friends and acquaintances from high school, a teacher, a lot of friends from college.

Hmm.. Which makes me think... They probably saw A Love Story too.. Hahaha.

Of phones and drooling

2007-08-08T22:55:00.000-07:00

I just had to write about this:

I had an iPhone encounter last Monday.

Controlling it is amazingly intuitive. For example, when you want to zoom in to an image, you just glide your two fingers outward (exactly what you'd do with your fingers if you want to non-verbally communicate you want something bigger). And inward if you want to zoom out.

And the screen resolution is to-die-for!

Wish I took a souvenir photo with it. But it was a meeting and this foreign guy just can't help but show off his Jesus phone before the meeting started. I had to try really hard not to embarass myself hahaha. But I probably won't buy one for myself (I can't afford it anyway) when it becomes available on 1Q 2008.

Anyway, phones.

I'm thinking of buying a new one, but it's going to burn my wallet and the thing is, I'm really trying to save up right now. But I just fell in love with the Nokia E61i. Everyday, I browse through tech forums and posters discussing new apps they found, new tips and tricks, new wifi hotspots (the E61i is wifi-enabled).. the works! And oh, I found out just now that there's a torrent client (SymTorrent) for Symbian phones which runs on it. Couple it with free wifi, and it's like a torrent-dream come true!

Of excuses

2007-08-05T17:53:00.000-07:00

My eldest brother just gave my mom the lamest excuse for not searching for a freakin' job:

He said his printer has no ink, thus he says he can't print out his resume.

Now, I am pondering on that, and am absolutely trying in the best of my limited human abilities to comprehend, understand how his soon-to-be-26-year old brain works.

But, may I just rant:

He has in his own room, two desktops, 3 printers and his game consoles. He does nothing at home. He gets out of the house for a basketball game, for a movie, and for God knows what whenever he wants to, not forgetting to ask for an allowance before stepping out of the house, never settling for "no, nada, zilch, zero money" for an answer. He's picky when it comes to food. He has all the time in this sad sad world to try to come up with a life plan, to try to think about his future, to try to at least come up with a map of what he wants to achieve before he gets really old, fat, and bald (he's on his way).

Of beers and wee wee

2007-08-04T22:55:00.000-07:00

I met up with some orgmates last night and did some catching up over a few bottles of beer and "wee wee". Man, I missed everyone. These guys initiated me into nights of smoke-filled, drunken slumber over gin-pom. empe-coke, SML, and vomit. They introduced me to Sarah and Drew - two of the most helpful entities that one can encounter in his college days.

Some of the things I remembered when we went back to Drew('s):

1. How I met some of my friend's friends drunk, swerving, and suddenly English-speaking at 3 in the afternoon, apparently having come from a quick fix at Drew's.

2. How girls will always have someone patting their backs and holding back their hair when they suddenly double over and let out a gush of vomit, redefining girl power.

3. How ice buckets (in one instance, a pail) suddenly transform into puke catchers after 1AM (sometimes earlier if one is a prolific drinker).

4. How one learns the technique in carrying and guiding someone unconscious into three flights of stairs, never minding getting vomit-soaked in the process.

5. How water and coffee should always be part of "first aid/morning-after kits" for someone who's wasted.

Memories.

And I had one of the most vivid dreams after I went to bed, drunk, with a stomach ache, and with my head reeling. Wow, you gotta love Red Horse for giving you one of those moments.

Of rats, snakes, and dozing off

2007-07-29T00:29:00.000-07:00

First:

There's clearly something wrong with me. This already happened to me twice (!) so that, I think, makes it a problem: I now doze off while watching movies in cinemas. Well, I think it depends on at least one variable - schedule. I can no longer watch last film screenings. I dozed off while watching Transformers (That's Transformers! Probably the most adrenaline-filled movie of summer 2007 and I slept, slept!, through some scenes...). And it happened again while some of my friends and I saw Ratatouille last Friday night.

I think I'm getting old.

Next:

So, Ratatouille. Rats. Pixar made a movie set in Paris with an American-accented, chef-wannabe rat as a star. For me, there's at least 2 wrong things with the previous sentence. I hate rats, or anything rodent-like for that matter. I cringe whenever I see hamsters, guinea pigs, rabbits, even the cute teeny white mice they sell for P10 a piece. Hey, I can hold a snake anytime; one classmate in high school even brought an albino python to school once, carried it in his backpack, and held it out as we stared in utter disbelief at the situation (Uh sir, there's a python in the classroom...). But I held it, and it isn't that scary at all; I even liked it. (Merlin's beard! Maybe I'm a Slytherin after all... No! I choose to be in Gryffindor. Okay enough of Harry Potter.) When I gave the snake back to him, he put it in a box (where the test papers are) and brought out a tiny white mouse which turned out to be the python's lunch. I couldn't care less about the mouse, but I didn't watch the snake gobble down his treat since, as I previously wrote, I don't like seeing mice.

Cue: the movie Ratatouille. Seriously, I'm torn whether to like this movie or not. I heard a lot about it prior to seeing it; how it's touted as the best Pixar movie since Toy Story, how it's number 1 in RottenTomatoes' top 25 movies of 2007 so far. and how it's simply good. But since I can't stand rats, no matter how cute they are, watching it wasn't exactly a pleasurable viewing experience. There were a few times when I even turned away from the screen (those were the scenes where the only thing we can see of the rats are their mean red eyes) as if I was watching a horror flick. C'mon, the Saw trilogy didn't do that to me. I didn't even blink when Jigsaw's head was being literally opened old-school style in Saw 3. Or when Jay Rodriguez cut off that Japanese girl's hanging eyeball in Hostel, and it turned into a frothy bodily fluids galore. But a rat's red eyes did the trick.

But there were a few things I did like about Ratatouille. There's the amazing soundtrack and that Le Festin song sung by Camille. There's Peter O'Toole as Anton Ego's voice and his monologue about critics near the end of the film! And the animation is amazing. Plus there's this really nice short before the actual film started entitled Lifted, and it was about this alien doing some freakin' abduction test on a poor homo sapien. Now, that was cute. Haha.

Trip to Quiapo

2007-07-25T17:42:00.000-07:00

Of weird things, magic moments, and awakenings

2007-07-13T23:29:00.000-07:00

First: I've been tagged!
Hmm.. So here are 6 weird things about me:

1. I never close my eyes when taking a bath or swimming. I dread those times when soap suds accidentally get into my eyes; I panic. Why? I dunno what's wrong with me; when I close my eyes, I immediately feel like I'm underwater and staring into a great white's open jaws. There are other times alligator's jaws naman.

2. This one's in my Friendster profile, so a lot of my friends probably know this: I think aliens exist. Well, not entirely "believe" as in absolutely-sure-believe; I just feel that somewhere, out there, there might be extraterrestrial life. C'mon, aren't we too proud in declaring we're the only living planet? We don't know that, in the same way that we're not sure that there are really aliens, so shoot me.

3. I'm so paranoid of getting held up. I've been scammed, lost something to a snatcher but never got held up. Whenever I feel that someone near me is a holdaper, I flee: I immediately get off a jeepney or I sprint, anything. It's embarassing and offensive; hello, I think it's demeaning to make someone feel he's a potential criminal (stereotyping!). Para ko na ring sinabi sa mukha n'ya: Sorry manong, nag-iingat lang, mukha ka kasing holdaper.

4. I'm a fast walker. I zigzag through crowds. A lot of people tell me: Lagi daw akong nang-iiwan. I don't leisurely walk; I have a tinatamad walk though. There are times too when I get into trouble: whenever I find myself behind a really slow walker and he's hogging the pathway, I do this tsk-sound and it never fails, he either steps aside or turns his head ready for battle.

5. I draw in the air, using my right index finger. Small drawings, doodles really. It's a mannerism I'm trying to get rid of. Well I think that's not really weird; there are people who calculate math equations in the air. I do drawings.

6. I can't think of something else so 'eto na lang: I use colons and semi-colons a lot haha which you'd have probably noticed by now. There are times they're not even appropriate na. I just like using them. Others like ellipses, I like my colons and semi-colons.
---------------------------------------------------
Second: 7 days to go before Pottermania explodes once again!

I came across this interesting article and I couldn't help but agree. This last Potter book, this is no longer just about a book. Borrowing from a term used in the article, Book 7 is about finally giving devout Potter fans their 'magic moment'. That moment of absolute ignorance of what's in store. Sure, there are rumors, and theories, and some 'facts' (more like teasers really) from Rowling herself. And the closure, the closure! A good series writer or creator knows when to graciously stop. The finale! Be it a showdown of all mentioned witches and wizards in the last few pages of the book, or a one-on-one Harry-Voldemort extravaganza, or a wizarding-world-gone-mad scenario, fans will gulp it down and finally settle with bittersweet glee that Harry's years in Hogwarts are over. (Will Rowling start another series? Harry in the Real World maybe? Will Harry go corporate (Fred and George chose this direction)? Harry working at the Ministry of Magic, which translates to wizarding government right? Harry teaching at Hogwarts, Defense Against the Dark Arts maybe? Hahaha oops, blurred line between real life and fantasy.)

So excited! 7 days to go and I'm definitely going to line up at 7AM on Saturday just to be one of the first to get their own magic moment.
--------------------------------------------------
Lastly: Broadway (and the Tony's) is all aglow with this new musical: Spring Awakening. Now, all I knew before hearing the cast recording is that Duncan Sheik is the composer, that's that. I downloaded it. And now, I've learned that the critics are raving: it's the 'Rent' of this generation daw.

And wow. It's not your traditional musical ala the-hills-are-alive-with-the-sound-of-music. Spring Awakening is more like raging-hormones-rolling-in-the-woods-fucking kind of musical. And the musical isn't just about sex, it's about repression, expression, to more than one dimension (Oops, wrong musical. That last phrase's from Rent's La Vie Boheme.) Seriously, it's edgy, it's hip (which is surprising considering the setting of the musical's in 1891 Germany), and it's revolutionary (which is what Rent was to the older generation). C'mon, we're no longer the generation for 'showtunes' as a character from High School Musical said. We want musicals where it's not awkward when someone bursts into an aria out of nowhere. And we no longer want arias of personal tragedies and Ramayana-like reveries, our short attention span requires beats which hook us and catapult our brain into days of LSS.

And speaking of musicals, there's this gem I found: the OST of Once. It's a movie about two struggling artists in Dublin. It stars someone from The Frames and a Bjork-sounding Czech. I've been scouring Quiapo for the past weeks for a copy of this movie, no luck. So I downloaded the soundtrack na lang muna. Listen to it too.

Untitled JJ Abrams Project

2007-07-11T19:34:00.000-07:00

Fake Working Title: Cloverfield

For LOST fans, another JJ Abrams riddle to figure out.

Listening to Neruda and Mrs. Lintott defining "History"

2007-07-08T00:34:00.000-07:00

The only Neruda poem I knew before was the ever popular Sonnet XVII. (I did enjoy some of his other poems; his Ode to Common Things is a masterful work: if someone can talk about a table or a common salt shaker as if it were divine, then he must be really good.)

But after downloading and listening to the soundtrack of Il Postino, I vow to start learning how to deeply appreciate poetry. You've got to listen to his poems; ask someone with an expressive voice read them out loud for you. (If you want the soundtrack, I can email it to you.Ü) My favorites: Madonna's If You Forget Me, Ralph Fiennes' Ode To The Sea, Andy Garcia's Tonight I Can Write, and Rufus Sewell's Ode To A Beautiful Nude. (I just realized how clear and beautifully distinct Julia Roberts' voice is after repeatedly listening to her reading of Poor Fellows.)
-----------------------------
Add The History Boys to your "most quotable movies" list. Some of my favorite quotes from the film:

From Mrs. Lintott (played by Frances de la Tour, who by the way peculiarly looks like an aged Rebecca Hall): Can you, for a moment, imagine how dispiriting it is to teach five centuries of masculine ineptitude?

And another one, still from Mrs. Lintott: History is a commentary on the various and continuing incapabilities of men. What is history? History is women following behind... with a bucket.

From Hector (played by Richard Griffiths; "Uncle Vernon" for Potter fans): The best moments in reading are when you come across something - a thought, a feeling, a way of looking at things - which you had thought special and particular to you. And now, here it is, set down by someone else, a person you have never met, someone even who is long dead. And it is as if a hand has come out, and taken yours.

Currently Listening To: Feist's Let It Die and The Reminder, Pink Martini's Hey Eugene

2007-07-02T23:56:00.001-07:00

First heard of her name when I was drooling over anything about Paris, Je T'aime. Downloaded and used her La Meme Histoire in one org AVP. After that, I officially got hooked. And it sort of helped that she has these music videos which I'll just describe as "cute and absolutely French". (She's Canadian, btw.)

Some of her songs which are quickly becoming candidates to be included in my Top 25 Most Played playlist (currently topped by Unkle Bob's Swans, which those religiously following the tracklist of Grey's Anatomy in Tunefind.com would know is the song used in that scene where Izzie stands side by side with Denny's ghost in Season 1): Mushaboom - which was used in a Lacoste perfume ad; One Two Three Four - quirky, quirky music video and catchy, catchy beat; Brandy Alexander; My Moon My Man - rivals Ok Go's Here It Goes Again music vid in the "creative use of treadmill" category.

I don't know how to classify Pink Martini's music. Wikipedia categorizes their songs as world/latin/jazz/. All I know is they're a 12-piece band. And their songs sound good, so I guess that's enough. Listen to: the title track, Taya Tan (which is Japanese), and Cante e Dance.

------------------

And LSS of the moment: Bublé's Everything from his Call Me Irresponsible album.

Box O Rice.

2007-06-30T01:00:00.000-07:00

Surprise, surprise.

Magkakaroon ng Box O Rice sa lower ground floor ng office building namin. Mukhang mapapadalas na dito na ko bibili ng lunch once na magbukas na siya. Overdose na naman 'to sa MSG at oily rice.

Syempre, what immediately comes to mind when I see those yellow rice boxes ay ang emergency food trips sa APSM tambayan. Haha every time we needed food na sobrang nakakabusog at mura lang, tatawag na kami sa Box O Rice Katipunan para magpadeliver. At laging ganito ang exchange between whoever calls to order and the one at the receiving end:

APSMer: Hello, Box O Rice! Magpapadeliver po.
Box O Rice girl: Hello po. Ano po order nila?
APSMer:
Box O Rice girl: Sa'n po idedeliver?
APSMer: Sa APSM tambayan po. UP campus, Palma Hall, East Wing,
Box O Rice girl: Ehpeesem?
APSMer: A - P - S - M po. Sa APSM tambayan po.
Box O Rice girl: UP, Palma Hall, est weng?
APSMer: East po. Hindi West.
Box O Rice girl: Oo nga, est weng.

After making the call, maghihintay na kami ng on average 45 minutes for the food. If you've been sa aming tambayan, you'd see na meron kami enclave. After mga 30 minutes of waiting, tatayo na ang mga tao sa bences sa enclave, inaabangan ang trusty Box O Rice delivery motorbike. Once we get a glimpse of that yellow motorbike, ayan na, para na kaming shipwreck survivors calling the rescue team's attention: arms flailing, screaming "Kuya! Kuya! Kuya ditoooo!!!".

After that, 15 minutes na katahimikan. (Eating time.)

Tapos, maingay na ulit. Naghahanapan kung sino ang 'di nakaubos ng Box O Rice n'ya. At ang ever reliable exterminators (kasali ako dun) ang tatapos at bibigyan ng pagkakataong mafulfill ng rice grains ang kanilang full potential.

Math=Death

2007-05-30T00:34:00.001-07:00

Saw this in an email:

This pretty much summarizes my relationship with Math17 back in college.

Blogging sa opisina

2007-05-23T18:07:00.000-07:00

Haha I can access Multiply naman pala during lunch breaks dito sa office.

Akala ko Friendster lang ang pwede pag lunch.

Go forth and Multiply! :D

Favorite words

2007-05-18T23:53:00.000-07:00

I just remembered, I used to have some favorite words. There's a word I liked saying out loud: flutter. Try saying it: flutter, flutter. Do you feel that? Your tongue hardening to form the sound fl then it squeezes past your teeth, almost past your lips. And then to complete the word, your tongue slides back and curls inside. Haha weird huh?

And then there are words you like seeing in print, in bold letters.

Then there are words you like because of what they can mean. Take for instance Dave Eggers' idea as to why he named his magazine Might. (He explained this whole thing in his book, A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius, which is by the way, a heartbreaking work of staggering genius.) He says, the word might can both mean strength and possibility. Might. Cool huh?

I'm posting this so I won't forget

2007-05-18T21:32:00.000-07:00

Beautiful quote from Innocent Voices (POLSC 167 yeah!)

I have reasons
to look for you,
I have the need to see you,
to hear you,
to talk to you...
I have reasons
to wait for you,
because I don't believe
there is anyone else in the world I can love...
I have reasons,
more than enough reasons,
to ask the wind to return you even as a shadow...
I have reasons,
to not want to forget you,
because that little piece of happiness:
it was you who gave it to me...
The air smells of you;
my house falls because you are not here...

Of elections and birthdays

2007-05-18T21:20:00.000-07:00

First, I saw this from Jal's blog. Aside from Chiz Escudero, some more APSM alumni who won in the recently concluded elections include Rolex Suplico (Iloilo - Vice Gov) and Magtanggol Gunigundo (Valenzuela 1st Dist - Congressman). (Well, technically Chiz hasn't won yet. Not until he's proclaimed.) I don't know their batches though. Haha old people. I'm sure every APSMer's proud to have them as orgmates. Sana naman they get to visit the tambayan and see that uh... we don't really have a tambayan. If we can raise the college tambayan issue with them, maybe they can do something about it, like help raise funds or something. Plus, I hope this year's APSM execom can do something about APSM's alumni database. (That was actually one of my plans of action; I wasn't able to accomplish that though.) So that come Anniv week, we would know who to solicit from hahahaha and of course who to invite to attend the activities.

Second, it's someone's birthday today. Happy birthday to you. Wherever you are. :D (Are you really in East Timor right now? Natuloy ba kayo?) Well, I hope you're having a great time with your family. Don't forget to put on some insect repellant. :)

I know I already sent this one to you:

"She followed slowly, taking a long time,
as though there were some obstacle in the way;
and yet: as though, once it was overcome,
she would be beyond all walking, and would fly."

- Rilke

Trip Lang

2007-05-15T23:08:00.000-07:00

Found out about this through Paolo...

____________

You entered: John Dominic Salgado Diocera

There are 25 letters in your name.
Those 25 letters total to 120.
There are 11 vowels and 14 consonants in your name.
What your first name means:

Shakespearean- Male
'Henry IV' Prince. 'Henry VI' John Talbot. 'King Henry VI, III' John Mortimer, Montgomery, & Somerville. 'King John'. 'Merry Wives of Windsor' John Falstaff. 'Much Ado About Nothing' Don John. 'Richard II' John of Gaunt. 'Romeo And Juliet' Friar.

Hebrew - Male
Jehovah has been gracious; has shown favor. In the bible John the Baptist baptized Christ in the Jordan river. Variants have been created in almost every language.

Biblical - Male
The grace or mercy of the Lord

Your number is: 3

The characteristics of #3 are: Expression, verbalization, socialization, the arts, the joy of living.

The expression or destiny for #3:An Expression of 3 produces a quest for destiny with words along a variety of lines that may include writing, speaking, singing, acting or teaching; our entertainers, writers, litigators, teachers, salesmen, and composers. You also have the destiny to sell yourself or sell just about any product that comes along. You are imaginative in your presentation, and you may have creative talents in the arts, although these are more likely to be latent. You are an optimistic person that seems ever enthusiastic about life and living. You are friendly, loving and social, and people like you because you are charming and such a good conversationalist. Your ability to communicate may often inspire others. It is your role in life to inspire and motivate; to raise the spirits of those around you.

The negative side of number 3 Expression is superficiality. You may tend to scatter your forces and simply be too easygoing. It is advisable for the negative 3 to avoid dwelling on trivial matters, especially gossip.

Your Soul Urge number is: 5

A Soul Urge number of 5 means: The 5 soul urge or motivation would like to follow a life of freedom, excitement, adventure and unexpected happening. The idea of travel and freedom to roam intrigues you. You are very much the adventurer at heart. Not particularly concerned about your future or about getting ahead, you can seem superficial and unmotivated.
In a positive sense, the energies of the number 5 make you very adaptable and versatile. You have a natural resourcefulness and enthusiasm that may mark you as a progressive with a good mind and active imagination. You seem to have a natural inclination to be a pace-setter. You are attracted to the unusual and the fast paced.

You may be overly restless and impatient at times. You may dislike the routine work that you are engaged in, and tend to jump from activity to activity, without ever finishing anything. You may have difficulty with responsibility. You don't want to be tied down to a relationship (HAHAHA), and it may be hard to commit to one person.

Your Inner Dream number is: 7

An Inner Dream number of 7 means: You dream of having the opportunity to read, study, and shut yourself off from worldly distractions. You can see yourself as a teacher, mystic, or ecclesiastic, spending your life in the pursuit of knowledge and learning.

- from www.paulsadowski.com

Requirements and Missing UP

2007-05-15T02:04:00.000-07:00

Two days before May 17 - the day when we're supposed to call the OUR to check if we can already pick up our clearance. Ok, I bet their hotlines would go bonkers come that date. C'mon, everyone'd be calling to check their clearance. I can't wait to get my clearance and finally be able to apply for my transcript, the processing time of which is around 3 months. (I thought they were kidding when they said it's that long to process transcripts. So what I'd do is apply for 3 - no, make that 5 - 5! copies of my transcript! Tignan ko lang kung maubusan pa ko ng kopya ng transcript ko...)

-----

I'm so missing UP - the campus, APSM's tambayan, the people in it, APSM!, the classrooms! I can't believe I spent my last months in UP dying to get out, itchy to finish all the necessary requirements and get my acad stuff done and over with. I miss doing papers! C'mon let me do an RRL one more time, last na please... Give me articles to review! Let's prepare a class report; I'll do the powerpoint presentation! I just want to sit down on one of those trusty old woodern armchairs with hilarious vandals/doodles on them. I want to walk around UP... Just walk... Then buy a scoop or two of FIC pistacio ice cream from that stall in SC beside Miranda's. Let me eat Rodic's tapsilog one last time...

Let me do one last GA! I miss GAs... Let's think about new org activities; I'd love another forum! How about this year's Miss APSM while we're at it? Let me lounge away at the tambayan's enclave. Leave me lying on that bench. Let me look at the sun until I can already see it even when I close my eyes. Let's talk idle talk. Let's play 1-2-3-pass, power pusoy pusoy dos... Bili tayong lunch sa CASAA. Bili tayong yosi sa CASAA. Let's have dinner at Tomato Kick, or Flaming Wings! Nuod tayong movie!

-----

Okay, now that I got it out, I can get back to the 'real world'. I just need to let it all out so that I won't miss it too much. Besides, UP is just a jeepney-ride away from where I live. I'd love to take that Biyaheng Pantranco one more time.

"Manong! Campus po. 'Studyante."

Thoughts on Choice

2007-05-13T02:02:00.000-07:00

"Whatever comes our way, whatever battle we have raging inside us, we
always have a choice, my friend Harry taught me that. He chose to be
the best of himself. It's the choices that make us who we are, and we
can always choose to do what's right." - Peter Parker, Spider Man 3

"Oh, as if you had no choice? There's a moment, there's always a moment,
"I can do this, I can give into this, or I can resist it", and I don't
know when your moment was, but I bet you there was one." - Alice/Jane Jones, Closer

Currently listening to...

2007-05-13T01:29:00.000-07:00

Amy Winehouse - Back to Black

Seriously, for fans of soul, Motown, and a little of jazz, you guys should listen to Amy Winehouse's second album. I remember reading about her in some tabloid and what stuck with me weren't some particularly good reviews about her album, but anecdotes and photos of her apparent substance abuse. But after getting a chance to download and listen to some of her songs, I'd agree that she has some voice! Kind of a better Joss Stone: more full-bodied and has more character. Now, if coke and too much booze can give someone a voice like hers then we should seriously call for legalization of drugs! The world will sound so much better! Of course I'm kidding. Anyway, try Rehab ("They tried to make me go to rehab/ I said, no, no, no") and Me and Mr. Jones ("What kind of fuckery is this...") just to check if you'll dig her kind of music. (Haha, I can't believe I just wrote "try Rehab"...)

Hiro or Peter?

2007-05-12T14:28:00.000-07:00

**Some spoilers ahead**

Had a Heroes marathon yesterday; finally saw episodes 13 to 19. While I always wanted to be Hiro (time-travelling is my thing, won't hurt if I could teleport too), right now I'm liking how Peter Petrelli's learning to control his power. Benefitting from Claude's (Christopher Eccleston can seriously effortlessly look like a bum) tutelage, Peter can now channel different powers. In the earlier episodes when we're just being introduced to the cast and their powers I thought Peter's was the most pointless (In essence, he can do nothing special if he wasn't around someone who can; it's like feeding on what someone else can do). Now that he can use a lot of powers at will, things have become more exciting for Peter. Heck he even survived an encounter with Sylar. (Just a thought: If Peter can absorb powers, then couldn't he have absorbed Sylar's? And not only Sylar's, but all the powers that Sylar stole from other "heroes'? Hmm...) Anyway, now I want to be Peter and just absorb what Hiro can do. Well, Peter minus the emo-mode he sometimes gets into when trying to do heavy drama.

Moving on, I finally understood Mr. Bennet. The "Company Man" episode totally explained everything. So Claire's now in a Snow White kind of adventure with Primatech Paper/Thompson as the Wicked Stepmother. Btw, the whole Claire-Petrelli family connection was something I never expected.

A new character ala Mystique was also introduced; glad to have Missy Peregrym in the cast as Candice the shape-shifter. I liked her since I used to watch Life or Something Like It in Studio 23 plus I saw Stick It (was she really trained to be a gymnast?). The whole Ted-Parkman-Mr.Bennet team-up is hilarious. When radioactive Ted whines, everyone around him goes in alarm mode lest he blows up and the task of calming him usually falls to Parkman.

One thing that Ted got me thinking though was something he said. Something like they can only be called heroes if they use their powers to save people; having superpowers isn't enough for people to be called heroes, it's the purpose, the intent of doing something unexpected and extraordinary that could earn you the title. But I think that idea has been misunderstood by some. (This is me talking about reality and not fantasy TV.) See, almost everyone wants to save the world that we always think large-scale-saving-from-armageddon type of salvation. But I think it's better to think of what we do to people around us at the personal level because it will eventually kind of radiate and follow through. Isn't that the whole logic of Save the cheerleader! Save the world!? The cheerleader comes first.

So: Save the cheerleader! Save the world!

So... This is Work.

2007-05-12T04:27:00.000-07:00

Wow. I'm just more than two weeks into working and everything still feels so surreal.

I've just come up with a more or less suitable routine that will get me through workdays; this includes:

1. Taking a cab when going to the office
- I've tried the MRT for four mornings and all I can say is, it's really not good for me; by the time, I arrive at work, all I could think of was going through the same experience the following day i.e., getting into the same stressful tulakan, pilahan, and kapraningan of arriving at work 2 hours late. And seriously! I never knew the MRT stations could get THAT crowded in the morning. One time, when I was walking towards the North Ave station, I saw people literally occupying half the space of south-bound EDSA while waiting to get to even come up the stairs leading to the platform. I decided then and there that that wasn't for me. I could take that experience if I was going home after work, but not while going to the office.)

2. Bringing baon
- Okay, I admit. Back in college, I thought bringing packed food to school was so high school. But now I realize the convenience it brings you when you need not worry about what to eat for lunch (thus, less time spent thinking). Plus, you get to save (especially since most of your allowance goes to cab fares).

3. Yosi-breaks
- I now have yosi-buddies at work. Wow. I never thought smoking could help ease the transition from school to work. Hahaha. Which makes me think, maybe it's the most common things you did back at school and being able to do them again in a new environment which kind of helps you get more comfortable in unfamiliar ground. And for me, that's smoking. (I'm so sounding like a yosi-addict right now.. and I'm not. 3 sticks a day would do me just fine.)

4. License to "research"
- Hopefully, restrictions on some websites will get lifted in the coming weeks. Right now, I can't get into pinoyexchange, multiply and YM using the office connection. But I just applied for access to these for research. Part of the job is knowing what's in right now and what's going to be in in the future. So I should do some serious browsing and lurking hahaha.

5. Thinking of SDs as research proposals
- Okay so a bit of a background, part of my job as member of the product management team is to review and approve new services and promos being pitched by content providers. See, not all services offered by telcos are company-initiated. Most of such services are initiated by content providers and they share revs with telcos for using the telcos' well... telco resources? :) Okay I'm not explaining it as clearly as I should be. I'm still learning things. Bottomline: our team needs to review these services and promos before they get to be launched in the market. We review these new services and promos by going through their SDs (service descriptions). SDs are documents which essentially outline everything one needs to know about a new service or promo. In a sense, they're like research proposals. The similarities are uncanny. When I realized this, everything began to make sense. From the abstract to the methodology, I assigned sections of a research proposal as sections of an SD. Can't leave PolSci behind babeh! :)

6. Overcoming newbie jitters
- I'm being honest. For the first few days into the job, all I could think of was: "What am I doing here?! This isn't for me!". Everything was so new. And I know I have a whole lot more to learn. I often asked questions. No, change that. I asked questions before doing anything for fear of botching up something. I had nights when I thought hard again and again if I made the right decision to go corporate. I had doubts whether I could do this. I thought: "Maybe there's a reason why so few polsci grads tread this path.". See in polsci, we are tasked to find universal truths (if such truths indeed exist) and whatnot. We are tasked to dwell in the realm of ideas. Our currency is power. But I soon understood (sort of remembered actually) that one lesson too in polsci is to see the bigger picture, the larger context, or whatever. I realized, now I am part of a world where I need to seriously ground ideas into realities because it sometimes spells the difference between not making it, making it, or making it big, where I can still try to find universal truths because we can always choose to set them as our personal goals, and where I can see for myself various manifestations of power.

7. Getting excited about some things
- You know what kinds of services get me excited? Those that make me feel like I'm fulfilling my social responsibility. Hahaha. For example, since it's election season there are available mobile services which can be of help to first-time voters or voters in general. You can check tally updates, list of things to bring, etc. just by texting to some access numbers. O diba? Ang galing! But if that's not your thing, just take your pick. A lot of services are churned out everyday. There's a lot of things you can do in this industry. That's what makes it exciting.

8. Getting to know a lot of people
- For the past two weeks, I've been introduced to a lot of people. It's difficult to keep track. But I'm sure when I meet them again, I'd get to remember them well. I'm lucky: the people who belong in my group are just the most accomodating and approachable bunch; brilliant individuals from whom I have so much to learn.

That's it for now. Medyo napahaba na pala 'yung post ko. :)

Globe's Unibersidad and Let's Go UP! Ringback

2007-05-11T03:22:00.000-07:00

Just found out about this. Try n'yo!

For Unibersidad:
Text PA695 to 2332.

For Let's Go UP!
Text PA696 to 2332.

Ringback Rates: P15 for 15 days AND P30 for 30 days.
:)

It's that time of the year...

2007-02-10T20:19:00.000-08:00

Valentine's Day is a day invented by greeting card companies to make people feel like crap. - Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

Happy Valentine's! Hahaha :D

Ano ba talaga...

2006-12-30T21:23:00.000-08:00

ROGER
Who do you think you are?
Barging in on me and my guitar
Little girl -- hey
The door is that way
You better go you know
The fire's out anyway
Take your powder -- take your candle
Your sweet whisper
I just can't handle
Well take your hair in the moonlight
Your brown eyes -- goodbye, goodnight
I should tell you I should tell you
I should tell you I should -- no!
Another time -- another place
Our temperature would climb
There'd be a long embrace
We'd do another dance
It'd be another play
Looking for romance?
Come back another day
Another day

MIMI
The heart may freeze or it can burn
The pain will ease if I can learn
There is no future
There is no past
I live this moment as my last
There's only us
There's only this
Forget regret
Or life is yours to miss
No other road
No other way
No day but today

ROGER
Excuse me if I'm off track
But if you're so wise
Then tell me -- why do you need smack?
Take your needle
Take your fancy prayer
And don't forget
Get the moonlight out of your hair
Long ago -- you might've lit up my heart
But the fire's dead -- ain't never ever gonna start
Another time -- another place
The words would only rhyme
We'd be in outer space
It'd be another song
We'd sing another way
You wanna prove me wrong?
Come back another day
Another day

MIMI
There's only yes
Only tonight
We must let go
To know what's right
No other course
No other way
No day but today

MIMI --- ROGER
I can't control --- Control your temper
My destiny --- She doesn't see
I trust my soul --- Who says that there's a soul?
My only goal is just --- Just let me be...
To be --- Who do you think you are?
There's only now --- Barging in on me and my guitar
There's only here --- Little girl, hey
Give in to love --- The door is that way
Or live in fear --- The fire's out anyway

No other path
No other way
No day but today...

ALL
No day but today
No day but today
No day but today
No day but today
No day but today

ROGER
Take your powder; take your candle
Take your brown eyes, your pretty smile, your silhouette
Another time, another place
Another rhyme, a warm embrace
Another dance, another way
Another chance, another day

- Another Day from Rent - The Musical

Love... Love... Love...

2006-12-30T01:21:00.000-08:00

Uhum... Interracial? Hahaha kawawang aso, napagtripan ko lang...

Hahahaha

2006-12-24T22:00:00.000-08:00

Talk about an early Christmas gift...

Moments ago, I received P150 worth of prepaid load from whoever!

Thanks to Globe or kung sino mang prepaid load retailer ang nagkamali sa pagencode ng cellphone number ng nagpapaload.. You made my Christmas. Hahahaha

'Tis the season to be....

2006-12-24T21:28:00.000-08:00

Woohoo pasko na!
Woohoo may post na ulit ako!
Isa pang woohoo dahil may chatterbox na uli ako.
At isa pang huling woohoo dahil sa aking personal assessment eh naging mabuti at masaya at hindi ko naman pagsisisihan ang taong ito na malapit ng matapos...

Pagpasok ng January, naku bibilis na ang mga araw... Biglang March na. Biglang tapos na (hopefully) ang acads. Biglang... bum. Wahaha hindi. Syempre may mga plano na ko kagad sa buhay. And yes, part nun ang pagiging bum ng at least a month, or sige na kahit 3 weeks. Hindi ko rin naman gustong maging bum ng matagal, baka masanay ako, eh di hindi na talaga ko ganahang maghanap ng trabaho.

Sa aking palagay, ito ang magiging pinaka-fulfilling ko ng pasko. Yung tipong wala na kong hahanapin pa. Yung tipong masasabi kong talagang masaya ko. Ewan kung bakit. Basta. Ganun eh.

Merry Christmas sa inyong lahat! Maging masaya sana tayong lahat. For sure, kahit papano when you look around, may rason pa rin naman to be happy this christmas. Or pwede rin namang walang rason, eh masaya ka lang talaga. Hahaha

Anniv Na!

2006-09-14T17:18:00.000-07:00

Anakka ng Tatay Mo!

2006-08-19T19:57:00.000-07:00

Kelan ba Father's Day? Parang okay ibigay to sa tatay ko.

Was browsing through my phone's gallery kanina and noticed this uncanny similarity between dad's pic days ago and mine na kinuhanan nung May.

Hmmm... Namamana din pala ang pag-pose sa pictures:

30, 40, 50 years from now...

2006-08-14T06:52:00.000-07:00

Found these somewhere:

Gwyneth Paltrow

Amanda Bynes

Usher

and the best/worst (for me):

Gwen Stefani... Still a Hollaback Girl.

Light! Light! Ilaw!

2006-08-11T16:50:00.000-07:00

Kahit nakapikit ako, nakikita ko pa din yung ilaw ng monitor ng PC ko. Seryoso.

Just finished my first draft na due ng 5PM today. As in two minutes ago.

Gusto kong sumuka.

Bulls and Papers

2006-08-09T05:55:00.000-07:00

These past weeks, I've been feeling like I have been struggling to keep up. Parang lagi akong may kailangang habulin. It tires me. Tinutulugan ko na lang, umaasang ayos na pagkagising ko.

Things are beginning to pile up. I have two reviews of books I haven't even laid eyes on. A revision of a concept paper that was due earlier today, but I have just started doing minutes ago. A missed seatwork. Three country papers due on Friday. A 25-page draft of my research proposal also due on Friday, 5PM.

Nakakapagod pala.

Nakakaubos ng gasolina.

What I need is a time-stopper. Hindi na 'to kakayanin ng energy drink.
_____________________________

Speaking of energy drinks... When we were marketing the FOPC activities last summer sa URC, their reps were initially considering the inclusion of their new energy drink in one of the events during the Freshman Week. (I think they were eyeing yung Rookie Camp sana.. ) Anyway, when I asked the name of the product, one of the reps proudly said, "Bull Fighter... Hulaan mo kung bakit..."

Jeez. Sobrang pinagisipan..

I just smiled, trying not to laugh. C'mon, nagkakaubusan na ba tayo ng creativity cells sa mundo?

Bull Fighter vs. Red Bull.

Sa pangalan nga naman, sino na ang panalo? The bull or the fighter? Which makes me think... Why don't all products have names following the same logic? (I remember as a kid, I tried to test a verrry corny joke on our househelp: Ano mas gusto mo, Red Ribbon o Goldilocks? Sabi niya Goldilocks. Sabi ko: Ayaw mo ng Red Ribbon, dun may ribbon... Sabi niya: Eh sa Goldilocks may gold...)

Tama nga naman.

O anyway, imagine: Product names showdown

Downy versus Uppy (tagline: Mas angat ka sa Uppy...)

Tide versus Tsunami. O, ano dyan mas matindi?

Ariel versus Ursula. Pwede ring Pocahontas, Alladin, Simba, Jafar, Pumba... In short, Disney War.

Boy Bawang versus 'Moy Bawang. Uh. Wrong choice; spells marketing disaster.

Virgin Cola versus Prosti Cola (tagline: Subok na mas hahagod...) Wahahahaha

Snacku versus Lunchu. Ano mas nakakabusog?

Bago ako malunod sa ka-cornihang ito, tigil na.
__________________________________________

The quick brown fox jumps ver the azy dof

Wala lang. Trip ko lang isulat.

Bored

2006-08-05T05:45:00.000-07:00

Hmmm... Alarming?

Disorder	Rating
Paranoid:	Very High
Schizoid:	High
Schizotypal:	High
Antisocial:	High
Borderline:	Low
Histrionic:	Very High
Narcissistic:	Very High
Avoidant:	Very High
Dependent:	High
Obsessive-Compulsive:	High
Parang ang sama ko palang tao... -- Personality Disorder Test -- -- Personality Disorder Information --

Symptoms of Schizoid Personality Disorder:

* Difficulty expressing anger, even when provoked
* "Loner" mentality; avoidance of social situations
* Appear to others as remote, aloof, and unengaged
* Low sexual desire (Errrmmm... Not true? Hahahahaha)
* Unresponsive to praise or criticism

Bili na!

2006-08-05T04:33:00.000-07:00

Katatapos lang ng rummage sale ng APSM sa Krus na Ligas.
Nakakapagod.
Sinabayan pa ng sobrang init na araw.
Pero ayos naman.
Nakakatuwa.
________________

After ng rummage sale, at pagliligpit at paglilipat ng mga natirang mga damit sa boarding house nina Zen, sumabay ako kay Steph at bumaba sa CD-R King sa Katipunan. Malas. Wala din silang stock ng USB drive. Kaya naisip kong pumunta sa SM North. Nagtaxi na lang ako kasi tinamad na ko.
Pagdating ko sa SM, naalala ko sale pala. Sana makabili na talaga ko ng flashdrive. Ang pinakamurang nakita ko na 256MB eh 650. Pera ko sa wallet: 620. Binilang ko barya ko: 25 pesos.

Isang malaking joke.

Sayang naman kung magsettle na ko for a 126MB just because kulang pera ko. So naisip kong bumalik na lang. Hay USB drive, bakit ang hirap mong makamtan? Para kang...
________________

May bagong girlfriend kuya ko. Nakakatawa. Paranoid. Pati ako tinatawagan para hanapin kung nasan kuya ko.
Gago kasi yun si Bryan eh. Naadik sa YM. Ang dami tuloy pseudo-girlfriends.
Hindi ko maintindihan; bakit kailangan mag-usap sa telepono na magsisimula ng mga alas-onse ng gabi, tapos maaalimpungatan ako ng mga 4AM nakatelepono pa din?
Ibang klase.
Parang hindi ko ata kaya yun.
Which makes me think...
Baka kaya wala akong girlfriend? Hahahahaha

Kailangan bang may title?

2006-08-04T21:05:00.000-07:00

Sumalangit na ang tsinelas ko. Isang taon at apat na buwan din ang tinagal nya. Ang hindi ko lang talaga nagustuhan ay ang paraan ng kanyang paglisan. Bakit biglaan? Oo, nahahalata kong meron ng mga punit sa may unahan ng tsinelas, pero hindi ko talaga inaasahan.

Papunta kong Vinzons para kamustahin ang ilang kaibigan. Bumaba ng Ikot, naglakad sa harap ni Bonifacio at bago ako makatapak sa sahig ng Vinzons eh yun. Naputol. Akala ko natanggal lang. Pero hinde. Pag yuko ko para inspeksyunin, ito ang nakita ko:

Put-ing kuting! Hindi pwedeng mangyari to! Paano ko uuwi? Umuulan pa naman. Tumayo na lang ako sa labas ng Vinzons, hindi ako gumagalaw. Nagisip muna ko kung sino ang una kong pwedeng malapitan. Ang textbrig na lang ako sa mga tao. Sa mga naka-dorm, 'pwede bang pahiram ng tsinelas?'. Sa mga malapit sa AS at SC, 'pwede bang magpabili?'. Gamit ang linya ni Presh (taga-ERG): Can I die now?

Sumasakit na ang paa ko kakatayo. Mukhang walang mga makakatulong. Buti na lang at nagtext si Rania, pwede nya kong bilhan ng tsinelas sa AS Walk. Yes! (Maraming salamat talaga Ran! ",)

To make it short, naayos ang problema. Nakagala pa ko gamit ang bago kong tsinelas...

(Hmm... At since ganado pa kong magkwento...)

Kakauwi ko lang galing sa AFP (Dun ako nagpapracticum ngayon.) Bago umuwi, pumunta muna kong Ayala Station para bumili sana ng USB drive sa CD-R King. Kaso walang stock. Kaya bumili na lang ako ng mga blank CDs. Ayos na sana, uuwi na ko. Pero pagbaba ko sa platform area ng MRT, Lo and Behold! Naguumapaw ang mga tao. Seryoso. Sa dami ng tao sa platform area, tinigil muna ang pagbebenta ng mga MRT tickets at ang pagpapapasok ng mga tao. Tatlong tren na ang dumadaan, parang hindi pa rin nababawasan ang mga tao. Natatawa na lang ako kapag nagpupumilit yung ilan na isiksik ang sarili nila sa loob. Yung mga bumababa naman galing sa tren, naaasar sobra. May isa pa nga, humirit: Mga walang disiplina! Palabasin nyo kaya muna kami bago kayo sumiksik papasok! Ang sarap kunan ng video. Kaya lang natatakot ako, baka ma-slash phone ko pagpasok ko sa MRT. (Gaya nung nangyari sa isa kong kaklase nitong nakaraan lang.)

Pero nung nakisiksik na ko at nakapasok sa tren, hindi ko na magawang tumawa. Walang bumaba sa cable (?) ng tren namin hanggang Cubao station. Mula Ayala yan ah. Define: siksikan. Ang baho pa nung ulo ng katabi ko. Eh mas matangkad ako sa kanya, sakto sa ilong ko yung bunbunan nya. Malas lang talaga. Skill learned: controlled breathing. Parang snorkelling.

I should be starting on my POLSC199 Research Proposal (Due: August 11; Pages to go: Hmm.. 29? Meron na kong title page.)

Ano pa ba.

Siguro kelangan ko na talagang tumigil sa paninigarilyo. Minsan nararamdaman ko sumasakit puso ko. Pero teka, yun nga kaya ang dahilan?

Hmm...
Baka naman...
Baka naman dahil...

sa kakakain ng puro taba? Hahahaha

_______________________

Mama: Ang gwapo naman ng anak ko...
Ako (naiinis. kunwari.): Ma...
Mama: Ikaw ba?

Naalala ko apat pala kaming magkakapatid.
Mahal ko talaga nanay ko; malapit na pala birthday nya. Gagantihan ko yun.