cesspool

Jumpty Dumpty (or why I love jump shots enough to ignore the possibility of asthma attacks)

2012-01-10T03:55:00.001+08:00

"Jump, and you will find out how to unfold your wings as you fall."

~ Ray Bradbury

There is something about jumping that makes you feel good. The thrill as you get ready to take off, the exhilaration during that fleeting moment of defying gravity. It is an awesome feeling and it's better when the experience is shared. But the best thing about jumping is that it can be captured, and the "high", no matter how fleeting, can be relived over and over again.

You stay off-ground longer when your fingers are pointy. Not.

You could do anything...

cheerdancing...

street fighting...

TV commercials...

hanging out...

witchcraft...

People Power...

growing up...

being happy...

flying.

Live, laugh, jump!

Feel the "unbearable lightness of being."

When you're gray and old and have brittle joints, you'd wish you jumped higher, you'd wish you jumped more. But then all you have to do is look at these images, of you and your friends suspended forever in time and space.

You do? Weh, di nga?

2011: A Space Odyssey (pasintabi kay Stanley Kubrick)

2012-01-09T01:48:00.000+08:00

Wow. The Universe granted me another year on Earth. Awesome! To bid 2011 farewell and to welcome the new year, I'm making a descriptive list of the year that was, hoping that 2012 would be as random. :)

source

1. The Heartbreak Year. I suffered three major heartbreaks during the first two quarters of it but in hindsight, I was just being overly emo and I concede that I suffered only one. But still, it's enough to last a lifetime.

2. The Hold-On-Tight-We're-Nearly-There Year. Fourth Year! Deym. Whowuddavthunk. And I thought I'd get kicked out in first year. Heehee.

3. The New Block Year. I still love E2012 but the people of E2013 are really nice and I've been in their classes for most of 2011. Nothing beats the butt-burning/brain-draining sessions with Prof. VAA as the ultimate bonding experience.

4. The Goodbye Trabaho Year. Well, almost. :)

5. The Getting Married/Getting Babies Year. This year saw a lot of walking down the aisle and lying in delivery rooms among friends, classmates and colleagues. I do like to experience these milestones in the future, but yeah, not necessarily in that order.

6. The Homecoming Year. My dad, who only gets to spend two months every two years with us is home for the holidays, my week-long VL was granted, and I got to spend it at home with the family. :)

7. The Back-to-Blog Year. 2010 was a blackhole, so the 18 random rantage that I managed to post in 2011 was an achievement. Before Facebook and Twitter, there was Blogger. Less interactive, but definitely has more room for "crumbs that fall down from the feast of the mind." #KahlilGibran #WhoSaysICan'tDoHashtagOnBlogger

So there. Hello, 2012. Please be nice. I promise that I won't be as obnoxious as the person that I was last year. :) It's gonna be legendary!

yearbook write-up

2011-12-15T11:51:00.000+08:00

Akalain mo, yumi-yearbook na naman ako. Parang kelan lang nung kinulit ko ang mga friendships ko sa Kamia at MassComm na gawan ako ng write-up. Haha.

This time, I asked the bespren Golda to write mine. Pero bilang napaka-busy niya sa buhay with all her extra-curricular whatnots, lumipas ang deadline at hindi niya ako nagawan (hmp, dude, kelangan mo ko i-compensate for mental anguish, serious anxiety and wounded feelings). Buti na lang andito ang Blockmate of the Year na si Tin. Here’s what she came up with. Aylabyu, mare!

Between working, going to film festivals, filling out her Witty Co. merchandise like the “Akala Mo Lang Wala Nang Slumbook Pero Meron, Meron, Meron” slumbook, drafting funny blog posts, partying, updating her Facebook status with the latest quotable quote from professors, listening patiently to her friends rant, and casually going to concerts, Cess studies hard. To prove it, when Cess gets drunk, she is able to quote the Constitution, Agency, and Civil Procedure provisions verbatim. Indeed, Cess will always find time to study. This time is usually from 8pm to 3am. The location ranges from McDo Matalino to Burger King Timog. Contrary to what some people may believe, the word she texts the most in the middle of the night is not, “Inom?”. It’s “Aral?” However, on any regular day, at whatever time, wherever she may be, and whatever else she may be doing, Cess will be ready to give you the latest Philippine showbiz news (“Oo nag-break na sila.”), and name old Pinoy movie titles (Bukas, Luluhod and mga Tala, Tinimbang Ka Ngunit Kulang, Huwag Mong Buhayin Ang Bangkay) and obscure 70s and 80s OPM artists from Jingle song hits. All that and be your friend. Cess, the Best.

199 words. Pasok sa banga!

What is random?

2011-12-12T02:57:00.002+08:00

It’s the last week of school this year and I haven’t been doing anything school-related for two weeks now, except go to classes and sit them out. I couldn't say I’ve been studying since reading is very different from studying, as Dean Maggie said just last Friday. Well then, if that’s the case, I haven’t been studying for the past five years because what I've been doing is a combination of frantic reading/highlighting, sitting-surviving classes, and frenzied word-hunting during recitations.

Which brings me to a question -– also asked by the huge Bar Operations Commission bulletin board outside the library -– are you ready to take the bar exams? The answer should be YES, since I have taken almost every core subject on the curriculum, but boy do I get scared when I couldn't answer with certainty random queries from colleagues and previous bar exam questions. Nerdy much? Not quite. Just apprehensive perhaps. And all the doubts I harbored for years come flooding my senses. Have I chosen the right path? Is it too late to quit? Am I ready? These questions have been popping up with more frequency than usual these past few days. The answer my mind has been giving is a frightening NO.

Over the years I have learned to ignore them, pushing them back to the deepest cavities of my consciousness, hoping they would never resurface again, that my love for learning would conquer the doubts and put an end to all their hounding. Five years, but they’re still there. I think of the reasons I had when I decided to take up Law. Nothing noble, I just thought I wasn’t in the place I wanted to be in (wherever that was) and Law was an ok thing to do in the meantime. “Ibang klase kang ma-bore,” was what an officemate said. “Nagseself-destruct,” I retorted.

Then I remember the career counseling thing I took at the Office of the Guidance Counselor at Vinzons Hall back in 2001, on the second month of my first semester in UP. It was a long personality test of sorts meant to measure your fitness for the course you’re taking. I was enrolled in Journalism, but the test result was such that I only scored a B+ as a reporter, an A- as a teacher, and A+ as a forest ranger. Whattup.

*****

Maybe if you think less of yourself it would be easier, I thought. The search for reasons extended beyond my ego. I thought of my parents and how happy they would be if I become a lawyer. I would be the first from both sides of the family. I thought of the land dispute my grandfather is having with another relative, and how Papa said they’re counting on me to fix things up. My grade school teachers, they would be thrilled. If I do well I would have succeeded in letting them know that their efforts are appreciated.

Heck, there’s still OLA next sem. If that doesn’t show me what lawyering is about I don’t know what will.

Or, maybe I could take Environmental Law and be a real ranger (SFX: Power Rangers theme). In pink spandex suit. Hot.

Go, go, Power Rangers!

Room for Rant

2011-11-29T18:49:00.000+08:00

an edited version of photo from this website

This morning I texted our landlady to report the busted bathroom lights. Two hours later, I got this reply:

“Ok na ilaw sa T&B. BTW, ilan ba nagoocupy sa room nyo kc maraming shoes/slippers sa labas. U rented it for 2 persons only. Di pwd sleepover wc u signed sa terms & conditions. D h20 & electric consumption kc lumalaki kpg dumarami tao. Hope u understand. Tnx.”

I was aghast. Grabe. Asking is very different from accusing. Pag maraming tsinelas, boarders agad? Hindi ba pwedeng marami lang talagang tsinelas? Sabi nga ni Bunso, “Ay naku. Ano ba sya, bobo o mukhang pera? Bakit, tig-isang pair lang ba tayo ng tsinelas/sapatos? E pano yung kabilang room, walang tsinelas sa labas. Ibig sabihin walang tao?”

It would be very uncharacteristic for me to reply in a rude manner so I just texted back -- “Hi po. 2 lang po kami, we just leave our shoes and slippers outside so as not to get the room dirty. Wala po kasi kaming time to clean everyday. I always text you naman po whenever my mom is in town to let you know that she’ll be staying with us.”

Hayun, hindi na sumagot si loka. Kainis lang talaga. Grrrr.

I dunno why I got so irked to the point that I have to waste a few minutes of my time to blogrant about it. Hayayay. Bad trip ka ‘teh. Alam mo yun?

*breathe*

The Thing Is

2011-11-28T11:06:00.001+08:00

The thing is I can't write poetry (or I can't write, period). But I love poetry, and a few weeks ago I stumbled upon this gem and I thought I'd like to share it with the four or five people who read my blog. Haha.

The Thing Is

by Ellen Bass

to love life, to love it even
when you have no stomach for it
and everything you've held dear
crumbles like burnt paper in your hands,
your throat filled with the silt of it.
When grief sits with you, its tropical heat
thickening the air, heavy as water
more fit for gills than lungs;
when grief weights you like your own flesh
only more of it, an obesity of grief,
you think, How can a body withstand this?
Then you hold life like a face
between your palms, a plain face,
no charming smile, no violet eyes,
and you say, yes, I will take you
I will love you, again.

"The Thing Is" by Ellen Bass, from Mules of Love.

http://writersalmanac.publicradio.org/index.php?date=2010/10/16

Princess Is a Loser. PRIL for short. LOL.

2011-11-24T09:01:00.007+08:00

This sem, I’m taking PRIL (Private International Law) under the great Dean Merlin Magallona. During our first class meeting, he gave out a LONG list of provisions that we have to memorize verbatim.

As usual, I ranted to my friends about it.

Cess: Andami-dami namang pinapa-memorize na provisions sa PRIL.

Gian: Conflict rules? Oo, you should know them by heart daw.
Cess: Hindi ko yata kaya. Isa lang ang heart ko, broken pa. *tear*

May pag-emote na ganyan. Nakakaloka. I’m starting to think that a) I am in dire need of a love life, or b) I am destined to be forever single just so I could blurt out such corny lines. Sige na, Universe. Tutal naman may mga taong natutuwa sa mga kababawan ko, so OK na rin. It’s better to be single and happy than be in a relationship and be miserable.

But please, don’t let me be a spinster. Hindi naman kataasan ang standard ko (click here for reference).

Thr3e

2011-11-08T19:43:00.004+08:00

3 and I, we go back a long way. I first encountered him in first grade as I did not go through prep and kindergarten. But in our class I was the bibbo kid who already knew how to read and write while my classmates were learning to hold their jumbo pencils.

I wrote "3" in reverse, parang E. I was embarrassed. And shocked. Mommy already taught me these at home, how could I commit such a mistake? Apparently, i wasn't alone, my teacher also found it strange that bibbo kid moi could blunder so horribly at so basic an exercise. To make matters worse, she even announced it while she was returning our papers. Perhaps that traumatic experience killed my capacity to love numbers, and up to now, while I could write numbers in their numerical forms (siguro naman ano?), I could not bring myself to like even simple arithmetic. My aversion towards numbers grew as the maths grew more complicated (fractions, decimals, negative numbers, percentages). In short, A α M, where A is aversion and M is math. Hahaha.

The horror stories continued. During the second grading period in second grade I was toppled from the 1st to 6th place because of my poor performance in the Math exam. In 5th grade, I got a tsk-tsk-tsk and a dismayed look from the Math teacher because I was the only one among the top 4 students asked to solve the problem on the board to arrive at the wrong answer. In 6th grade, my spot in the honor roll was threatened because other students scored higher in the Math part of the NEAT. High school wasn't any different, and I could not comprehend why the x's and y's were being added and subtracted and multiplied. Letters belong to the alphabet, to form words and sentences and beautiful stories. Subjecting them to these brutal operations was blasphemy.

and I find this absolutely hilarious. :)

But then, I trudged on. Math was an unavoidable abomination and I just saw it as something I could ignore since I did not fancy a career in Engineering or Medicine. As long as I performed well in other subjects, I thought I would manage.

And I did. College and work didn't involve a lot of numbers. That's until I took up Law. I thought it didn’t involve Math, but I was totally wrong. Succession had a lot of fractions, and I messed up our final exam. We had two Taxation subjects, and these had a great deal of nosebleed-inducing arithmetic. And there goes my reason for writing this entry. I passed Tax 1! I couldn’t believe it. The midterms was horrendous as it only consisted of 12 problems. No MCQs, no True or False, no essay. Just pure computation of “tax consequences” and “exposure”. While the final exam had MCQ, T or F and tax rates, I didn’t feel any better because I applied the “when in doubt, choose B” and “when the statement says ‘always’ or ‘never’, it’s false” principles.

Now I feel a little fondness for one number -– 3.

THREE*

I think I shall never see

A grade as lovely as a three

A three that’s earned with blood and sweat

When failing is a serious threat

A three I've asked from God all day

Knowing praying is the only way

Exams are taken by fools like me

But only God can give a three.

*poem printed on a UP shirt

What's Love Got To Do With It

2011-11-05T18:26:00.003+08:00

I read somewhere about this pop existential theory which says that the number one song on the week of your birth will dictate the theme of the rest of your life. I Googled mine but I didn't arrive at a definitive answer because different charts from different territories came up with different results.

Because it's the oldest music chart, let's start with Billboard Hot 100 (US):

What's love but a sweet old-fashioned notion
What's love got to do, got to do with it
Who needs a heart when a heart can be broken...

Then there's Take 40 (Australia):

There's no comfort in the truth
Pain is all you'll find...

And finally, the UK Top 40:

No New Year's day to celebrate

No chocolate covered candy hearts to give away...

Too bad I couldn't find any Pinoy music chart archives online. :(

So what do these songs say about my life? The first is about being jaded, the second about being unfaithful, and the third about being engaged in a long-distance love affair. Go figure. Hahaha.

Find yours, too!

http://www.billboard.com/#/charts/hot-100

http://www.take40.com/music/number-ones

http://www.everyhit.com/dates/index.html

Registration Relief (bleh, cheesy title yet again)

2011-11-04T12:28:00.001+08:00

And now, the second part of the misadventure-that-was-enrollment for my supposed last sem in school were it not for my innate delinquent tendencies.

The denial of my appeal the previous day dampened my spirit (ako na ang emotera) and made me decide to just enlist on the last day instead, bahala na si Batman. But at around 2PM, Evening Batch Rep Aict texted me that the Crim 2 section I wanted had available slots left. Whether somebody changed his/her mind or dropped from the section, I didn’t know. The news kept my hopes up, but to be able to enlist, I had to clear my liabilities at Vinzons Hall. The line at the Student Services & Scholarships office was long and winding. Well, UP transforms into University of Pila every enrollment. Good thing the men and women of OSSS are efficient and cheerful to boot, I was given a payment slip in no time.

But the pila at PNB was another story. Magulo na, mabagal pa. And I arrived there at 4:15PM! I was able to pay 30 minutes later, took a cab from Shopping Center to Malcolm (dahil one-way traffic sa Oval) then ran to Vinzons OSSS again to have my record cleared. At Malcolm there were 10 students queued outside the Office of the College Secretary, although it was then 4:55 PM. Anxiety was setting in. Oh no, baka mag-close na ang OCS/maubusan ako ng Crim 2 slots. I’m dead. Good thing OCS determined to finish with all the waiting students and we were done by 6PM.

Like most of my Malcolm contemporaries, it feels a little strange that Prof. SFL is no longer behind the College Sec’s desk. The new College Sec is nice naman and she took the time to check each student’s issues and even advised one student against canceling an elective “kasi magandang subject yan (Remedial Law Review).” Imagine the stress the student felt when another student told her that the subject would be taught by Prof. VAA. LOL.

Anyhoo, seems like I have to make the most out of my last few days of freedom. Tanduay Ice, here I come!

Image taken from

http://www.motifake.com/back-to-school-immunizations-not-yet-anyways-cryer-demotivational-posters-114848.html

Registration Rantage

2011-11-02T23:48:00.025+08:00

So here I am, on my fifth year and has been tagged “graduating”, still struggling to get a slot in a first year subject. Oh, Criminal Law 2, I’ve waited 5 years just to take you. It’s probably my fault; I was too presumptuous to think that I’d win a slot even with a single bid point since I (stupidly believed) enjoyed a priority status.

Wait, bid? Yes, students bid for subjects, like collectors do in Sotheby’s or Christies (sushal). It’s kinda hard to explain the system to regular students who just choose the class to enlist in depending mostly on two factors – schedule and teacher’s popularity. UP Law had this novel registration system in place two years ago, during Dean Leonen’s first year as dean. Under the system, each student is given 20 points per unit of subject s/he intends to take which s/he will use to bid for a particular subject. But the rule is not simply highest-bidder-wins, as the system is built on a set of priorities depending on the student’s year level and shift. Since I am too lazy to explain, here’s Ms Batnag’s blog entry to elucidate on the matter -- http://danabatnag.wordpress.com/2009/04/01/deblocking-at-the-up-college-of-law/.

These were my bids.

I won a slot in every section but Crim 2 (Law 110). The system gave me these instead:

Buti nga, anyabang kasi. Haha.

But since this is law school, we are somewhat keen on insisting what’s best for us and are expected to make the most out of the due process thing –- appeals. I appealed, saying that the section awarded to me could not be accommodated by my work schedule, which is true. And I remember Prof. VAA saying last sem that “You enrolled to become lawyers so it’s understood that when push comes to shove, your work gives way.” Her advice is well-taken but it’s a Catch-22 for me. Work pays for school, so no work = no school.

My appeal was denied, BTW. Hoping for better news tomorrow.

Top Ten Songs for the VAA Evidence Final Exam*

2011-10-14T08:52:00.000+08:00

Pag wala nang masabi, daanin sa kanta.

1. Huwag Mo Nang Itanong – Eraserheads
Two minutes before the exam, maalala mong may hindi ka maalala sa mga inaral mo. Please Ma’am, huwag mo nang itanong.

2. Harder to Breathe – Maroon 5
Pero itatanong niya at pagkakita mo sa questions, magsisikip ang iyong dibdib at pagpapawisan ka ng malamig.

3. Landslide – Fleetwood Mac
But wait, there’s more! Andami pang katulad na tanong. Sa isang problem, andaming facts, andaming issue/nagpapanggap na issue.Para kang matatabunan. Ng gumuhong mga pangarap. [cue dramatic music] Oh yes, favorite song ito ni Ma’am.

4. Something Stupid – Robbie Williams & Nicole Kidman
Bilang wala ka namang choice, you will try your best to answer in a logical and coherent manner, and then you’ll go and spoil it all by saying something stupid like “Witness Protection Program”. WTF mehn.

5. You Ought to Know – Alanis Morisette
Kung nag-aral ka lang nang mas mabuti. Tsktsk.

6. Sitting, Waiting, Wishing – Jack Johnson
Isang oras pa lang ang nakalipas pero wala ka na talagang mapigang sagot. Pero diyahe naman magsubmit nang maaga baka a) mag-expect si Ma’am; or b) mabistong wala kang alam.

7. Everybody Hurts – R.E.M.
Tapos na finally. Sa labas ng room ay may kuro-kuro’t diskusyon ang mga kaklase mo, nagkukumpara ng sagot. Parang hindi rin naman sila sure at parang pare-pareho kayong nahirapan. Misery loves company and you will take solace in the fact that everybody hurts.

8. Right to Be Wrong – Joss Stone
Pero di kalaunan ay matutuklasan mong malayo ang mga sagot mo sa kanila. Defiant ka pa teh!

9. What Kind of Fool Am I – Sammy Davis, Jr.
Pag-uwi mo ng bahay ay muli mong pagninilay-nilayan ang mga sagot mo. Mari-realize mong the right to be wrong is not a constitutionally protected right. In fact, as a student, you have the obligation to be correct. Sh%t! What kind of fool are you?

10. Himala – Rivermaya
Matapos ang bonggang self-reproach, magmu-move on ka na. Marami pang exams at may trabaho ka pa bukas. In the meantime, magra-rant ka sa blog, hihinga ng malalim at hihingi sa langit ng himala.

*Version ko ‘to. Kung hindi ka sang-ayon, gumawa ka ng sarili mong playlist.Hehe.
**See previous post for the VAA CivPro edition

Top 10 Movie Titles That Describe the VAA CivPro Midterms*

2011-10-14T08:33:00.001+08:00

*pasintabi sa The Morning Rush Top Ten with Chico & Delamar

Lost and Delirious
The Sum of All Fears
An Inconvenient Truth
I Can’t Think Straight
Panic Room
Killing Me Softly
Irreversible
Clear and Present Danger
Mission Impossible (sabi ni Donna)
Drag Me to Hell (sabi ni Paula)

Pinoy Edition

Gumapang Ka Sa Lusak
Magdusa Ka
Tinimbang Ka Ngunit Kulang
Patayin sa Sindak si Barbara
Kakaba-Kaba Ka Ba?
Pasan Ko ang Daigdig
Himala
Paano Tatakasan ang Bukas?
Itanong Mo sa Buwan
Sakal, Sakali, Saklolo

**Unang ibinahagi noong Feb. 4, 2010 pagkatapos ng first ever exam encounter with the great Prof. VAA.

What a Feeling

2011-09-21T11:21:00.002+08:00

What a feeling, bein's believin'

I can't have it all, now I'm dancin' for my life

Take your passion, and make it happen

Pictures come alive, you can dance right through your life…

Strange, but that was the first song that played in my head when I saw my Civil Procedure grade. And I’m not even a fan of Flashdance. Haha.

CivPro is a five-unit subject taught by a professor who is notorious for flunking students. My dismal (that’s how I felt at least; our bluebooks were not returned.) performance in the midterms and final exams and my unremarkable recitations made me more inclined to believe that I will not survive the subject. But I knew failure isn’t an option because my grade in that subject will determine if I get to stay in UP Law. And the agony of waiting! The professor also has a reputation for submitting grades late, so late that we are now taking another subject (Evidence) under her without ever having benefited from the double jeopardy rule. Worse, every time a procedural question comes up during class she would go “What happened to your CivPro? I should flunk all of you!” which naturally brings the class to stratospheric levels of stress.

As luck would have it, the grades were released on the same day as my schedule for the gradpic shoot, a day after my birthday. So there I was, all dolled-up, fighting back the urge to break down and cry, and when it was my turn to go in front of the camera, the photographer chided me for giving him ngiting aso. His “Smile for graduation!” quip made me all the more nervous, because my brain was telling me “Graduation? Are you sure?”. One joke finally worked and made my eyes smile -- Isipin mo ang boyfriend mo. Wala po akong boyfriend. Isipin mo ang boyfriend ng iba. Winner. At hindi ko sasabihin kung kanino boyfriend ang inisip ko. Hahaha. Good thing my friends were there. Medyo na-deflect ang nerbyos ko. Especially when we had the Spice Girls shot (which merits another post btw).

After the shoot, we had dinner at Technohub. I said I won’t check the grades until I’m in the confines of my room so no one would see me break down, but the thought of crying alone wasn’t too appealing so I ended up checking the CRS via mobile immediately after dinner. At least I’d have friends to drink with whatever the results were.

There was an interminable dialogue within my head while scrolling down. Ugh, kill me now! E kung later na lang? Ayoko na talaga. Please, please, please Universe, be kind. What the heck, just check. OMG, I passed!

Finally, peace of mind. No more sudden outbursts of "s#%t, p&@%ng ina!" or staring blankly in space whenever I hear the word CivPro. The future is a bit clearer now (a bit lang, may Evidence pa). Parang gusto ko nang maniwala sa manghuhulang kinonsulta ng nanay ko last year.***

Best birthday gift ever. Thank you po, Lord. Thank you, Prof. VAA. Thank you, friends. Mapapasayaw na ako, dalawang kaliwang paa notwithstanding.

***Mommy: Sabi ng manghuhula gagraduate ka naman daw. Magkakaroon ka pa daw ng third degree.

Me: Weh, di nga? Baka third degree burns.

Cosmic Correspondence

2011-08-24T04:55:00.002+08:00

Dear Universe,

A funny thing happened while I was on Facebook today. I've been morose for the past two weeks over some unmet expectations, and so I was quite surprised with the way I reacted when I saw this thing on my Wall. You see, this thing is the very reason why I got disappointed, why my self-esteem hit rock-bottom, why I was miserable. In a span of 120 seconds, a spectrum of emotions engulfed my heart (oh yes, I have one) that ultimately gave me the serenity I haven't known for days.

At first I laughed so hard, not realizing that I was laughing at some bad joke where I was the punch line. Then I shrugged, singing "if it makes you happy it can't be that bad." The shrugging must have caused my emotional baggage to fall because I felt relieved afterwards. I stopped cursing fates, made peace with the self I've been berating for committing such an epic idiocy, forgave the one who has been reckless with my feelings, and acknowledged that I may have been reckless, too.

Someone said that love is magical when it is the truth. I'm lucky to have experienced such magic before, and I now realize that to attain it one must be patient, one must not compel another to conjure affections where there is none, to mistake lust for love. The truth is out there. I'm no longer in a rush to meet mine since I know I have better things to do (like study for Evidence midterms). But should you decide to give it to me now you wouldn't hear me complain. :)

Love,
Cess

Marooned

2011-08-21T15:55:00.006+08:00

You don’t cry, you don’t care
Afraid to have a love affair…

Maroon 5 is playing again. It's been playing everywhere -- on my phone, my laptop, my office PC. I wasn’t a fan until I saw them perform three months ago, with you. I really thought that was the beginning of something. To be honest, there was no spark, or magic, or romcom what-have-yous when we first met. You were reeling from a break-up, I was suffering from a bad case of infatuation. Misery loves company, so they say. Then we hit it off. You said you like me. Would it be ok if I court you? I didn’t know how to react so I feigned indifference. Why would you do that?

I'm not falling in love with ya, I'm not falling in love

'til I get a little more from you baby…

It happened so fast, I needed to be sure. Hundreds of text messages and scores of phone calls later, I thought I was certain. I tried to tell you but another uncertainty troubled me. You didn’t seem to be interested anymore. Suddenly the SMS and calls ceased. No explanations, no goodbyes. You just perished into oblivion. A few days later you went from “single” to “in a relationship”. Oh, the inconstancy of human emotions!

You take my hand just to give it back
No other lover has ever done that

Still I listen. For although the songs remind me so much of you, I cannot give up the aural pleasure they provide just yet.

I wonder if it even makes a difference to cry
So this is goodbye.

Inked!

2011-08-11T19:11:00.002+08:00

I’ve been wanting to have one. One that would complement my personality and would make me happy, but I’ve been too afraid to get hurt.

And no, I’m not referring to a lover.

Gra: Masakit ba? Ano ang level ng pain?

Cess: Oo masakit, pero hindi kasingsakit ng heartbreak.

Ganun e.

gradpic grumbles

2011-08-08T16:21:00.000+08:00

I wasn't supposed to have my gradpic taken yet, since I won't be part of this year's graduating batch, but when I found out that everyone in my block (those delayed included) is having theirs already, eh sasabay na rin ako. Who would want to be in a yearbook where the only person you know is your self?

The past couple of days have been spent on thinking of ideas for the creative shot. Never mind that I actually have a lot of academic issues to think about, and that I have to take them seriously to be able to graduate and deserve a page on the yearbook. Anyway, the creative shot. I don't want a repeat of my undergrad creative shot which wasn't really creative, since i didn't prepare for it and only wore what props the photographers had.

My options so far are the following:

because I love Audrey Hepburn...

or this. Talk about minimalism.

uh, probably not

Maybe a super heroine?

Ding, ang bato...

or go the anime route:

Sailor Moon

This one's gonna be DIFFICULT.

"My hair is too heavy I couldn't smile."

Pwede ring when-I-grow-up mode:

Because this is what I will become if I don't graduate. *evil laugh*

E yung ganito na lang?

Que horror!

Better ideas, anyone?

Law, Like Love

2011-08-08T10:35:00.001+08:00

by W.H. Auden (1939)

Law, say the gardeners, is the sun,
Law is the one
All gardeners obey
To-morrow, yesterday, to-day.

Law is the wisdom of the old,
The impotent grandfathers feebly scold;
The grandchildren put out a treble tongue,
Law is the senses of the young.

Law, says the priest with a priestly look,
Expounding to an unpriestly people,
Law is the words in my priestly book,
Law is my pulpit and my steeple.

Law, says the judge as he looks down his nose,
Speaking clearly and most severely,
Law is as I've told you before,
Law is as you know I suppose,
Law is but let me explain it once more,
Law is The Law.

Yet law-abiding scholars write:
Law is neither wrong nor right,
Law is only crimes
Punished by places and by times,
Law is the clothes men wear
Anytime, anywhere,
Law is Good morning and Good night.

Others say, Law is our Fate;
Others say, Law is our State;
Others say, others say
Law is no more,
Law has gone away.

And always the loud angry crowd,
Very angry and very loud,
Law is We,
And always the soft idiot softly Me.

If we, dear, know we know no more
Than they about the Law,
If I no more than you
Know what we should and should not do
Except that all agree
Gladly or miserably
That the Law is
And that all know this
If therefore thinking it absurd
To identify Law with some other word,
Unlike so many men
I cannot say Law is again,

No more than they can we suppress
The universal wish to guess
Or slip out of our own position
Into an unconcerned condition.
Although I can at least confine
Your vanity and mine
To stating timidly
A timid similarity,
We shall boast anyway:
Like love I say.

Like love we don't know where or why,
Like love we can't compel or fly,
Like love we often weep,
Like love we seldom keep.

Signal Fire

2011-07-16T19:57:00.001+08:00

I heard a song on the radio this morning and it reminded me of you. Curious why RX played it now when it is not in their current playlist. It is an old song, by pop music stations' standards. You introduced it to me three years ago.

Three years. It's been that long but I still remember every detail of our story. My version, at least. :-) Starbucks. Group studies. Pablo Neruda. I was drawn to you like a moth to a flame, but unlike the moth I wasn't driven to destruction. Your brightness was illuminating, your passion for life was contagious. If it wasn't for you I wouldn't have survived another year of law school. You would patiently discuss our lessons with me and together we hurdled exams designed to bleed our brains dry. I scored a pretty decent grade that semester. I was busy gloating, I think I may have forgotten to give credit where it is due. Well, it's not too late. Thank you.

But some good things never last. Life happened. We each have to battle our personal demons. "We have to fix ourselves outside of each other to evolve into the persons we can be," as you put it. (You always have a better way of saying things.)

I kinda miss us but I'm not wishing for us to happen again. I'm happy with the way things are going for you and I'm proud of what you have accomplished so far. I know you are destined to accomplish more. It is also nice to have these memories to look back to. They're bittersweet. Ain't I lucky? Some people just turn bitter. Hahaha.

Sorry for the sudden outburst. I was just overwhelmed I guess. Enough to write a long remembrances of sorts. All because of the song I heard on the radio this morning.

attachment

2010-04-19T12:11:00.002+08:00

"Grasping at things can only yield one of two results:
Either the thing you are grasping at disappears, or you yourself disappear.
It is only a matter of which occurs first."
Goenka

Reflections on Overseas Employment*

2009-07-21T04:38:00.062+08:00

“Wala na naman si Papa,” my youngest sister whined a couple of days before her college graduation. I almost retorted “What’s new?” but my better judgment decided against saying so. The last and the only graduation my father has attended was my eldest sister’s. That was the first in our family, when she finished primary school in 1992. Eleven other graduations followed in the course of fifteen years, all of which my father never saw, add to that the countless recognition days he has also missed.

Not that my dad neglected us or something. His absence meant exactly the opposite. He is one of the millions of Filipinos breaking their backs in foreign lands to give their families a better future. I know that if he had a choice he wouldn’t leave. But that has not kept me from wishing that we had a normal family set up -– that he had an eight-to-five job, that he fixed the broken whatever at home, that he greeted us personally on our birthdays and other occasions instead of sending cards, that he gave my brother tips on courting, and that he subjected my sisters’ suitors to interrogation. My mother did all these quite satisfactorily but I still think things would have turned out differently if my dad was around. It really is difficult to have spent half of our lives with our father physically absent but I reckon it’s a lot harder on his part. Imagine leaving your family to live in a strange land with strange people. He gets to spend a month or two with us every two years but that isn’t enough to keep him from casting awed glances at us, betraying his amazement at how fast the years wore on. And his “Dalaga/Binata na ang anak ko” remarks always make me feel like we have virtually excluded him from our lives despite the letters and pictures and overseas calls.

Image taken from this site

As a child of an overseas worker, reading the three articles on overseas employment struck a sensitive chord in me. The articles are commendable for their attempts to explain the implications of the OFW phenomenon. They are, however, guilty of reducing the question into statistics and cost-benefit analysis as if what they are dealing with are inanimate tools in a science laboratory. Dr. Licuanan’s article delivers what its title promises, “a closer look” into the overseas workers’ experience, providing a comprehensive review of the positive and negative effects of overseas employment not only on the individual worker and his/her family but on the Philippine society as well. She likewise poses a question which the government apparently chooses to ignore -- Do Filipino workers really have a choice?

The answer is pretty obvious. Given the deplorable state of labor and economy at home, Filipinos are driven to take jobs abroad. Often, this is not even a move to greener pastures but some sort of a forced relocation to somewhere just a little better than the barren tract that is our country. Indeed, the uncertainty of working abroad is a better choice than the uncertainty of where the next meal would come from. Kapit sa patalim, so we say. Yes, OFWs have a choice, between the devil and the deep blue sea.

On the “national obsession” as Licuanan puts it, about working abroad. I agree that the material equivalent of having an OFW in the family is overrated. The obsession, I think, applies more to OFWs who are fortunate to have a choice, and to the neighbors and distant relatives of the individual working abroad. The first group is composed of those with well-paying jobs here but chooses to go abroad anyway for various reasons. The second are those outside looking in, those who don’t feel the emotional strain of leaving or being left behind. I have a friend working in Singapore who, when asked if it is ok to be a second-class citizen smugly replied, “Nationalist pretensions will not keep food on the table.” This is why I am not so keen on OFWs being called “bagong bayani”. The word bayani has its roots from the term “bayan” or nation. True, OFW remittances help keep the economy afloat but this is merely incidental to the primary force that drive them from home, which is personal/familial. But then again, this terminology just may be the government’s marketing strategy to lure more workers to go overseas, have more remittances sent home and consequently shift the burden of saving the economy on them -- a fancy phrase to mask the ugly realities of it. Aside from this glorification, what else has the government done?

Well, there’s Republic Act 8042 or the Migrant Workers and Overseas Filipinos Act of 1995, a lame concession to appease public indignation over Flor Contemplacion’s fate. Section 2(c) of said law provides:

“While recognizing the significant contribution of Filipino migrant workers to the national economy through their foreign exchange remittances, the State does not promote overseas employment as a means to sustain economic growth and achieve national development. The existence of the overseas employment program rests solely on the assurance that the dignity and fundamental human rights and freedoms of the Filipino citizen shall not, at any time, be compromised or violated. The State, therefore, shall continuously create local employment opportunities and promote the equitable distribution of wealth and the benefits of development.”

This and a couple more laws aimed at protecting migrant workers and establishing agencies to ensure the same. No, it is not promotion but institutionalization. A futile exercise in doublethink.

The issue of overseas employment should not be limited to questions of cause and effect nor should it be bound by the law on supply and demand. Call it elementary, but I believe there is a remedy to stop pushing our country’s best and brightest abroad. While we are in search of it, there are Christmases, birthdays, anniversaries and graduations missed.

###

*Reflection paper for Labor Law 1 on the following articles:

1) Soriano, Ma. Teresa M., Implications of International Migration: A Focus on the Philippine Experience, Philippine Labor Review, Vol. 20, No. 2 (1996)
2) King, Amelia M., Social and Economic Benefits and Costs, Philippine Labor Review, Vol. 9, No. 1 (1985)
3) Licuanan, Patricia B. Katas ng Saudi: A closer look. Philippine Labor Review, Vol. 9, No. 1 (1985).

Usapang Ewan

2009-07-02T00:44:00.003+08:00

Prin: Masaya ka ba?

Cess: Mage-emote ba ako nang ganito kung oo ang sagot?

P: What’s bothering you ba?

C: Di ko alam. Parang hilo lang ako sa bilis ng ikot ng mundo. Dalawang buwan na lang 25 na ako tsong. Parang lumipas ang panahon nang hindi ko nararamdaman.

P: Ano bang hindi, e panay nga ang angas mo diyan? Ang pag-angas ay reaksiyon sa mga nangyayari sa buhay mo. Paano ka makaka-react kung wala ka palang nafi-feel?

C: Meron naman, pero hindi ito ang gusto kong ma-feel. Bagot, inip, wala lang.

P: Paanong “wala lang”?

C: Puro ka na lang tanong. Wala ka bang alam na declarative sentence?

P: Anlabo mo kasi. Puwede ba ‘yon, for a living homo sapien to sum up her existence like that? E buti pa pala yung pusang nakikipag-do sa bubungan, alam kung ano ang meaning ng excitement. Ng life.

C: Tama bang i-compare ako sa pusa? Seryosong usapan ‘to. Sabi nga ng U2, "I still haven't found what I'm looking for...

P: Ano ba kasi ang hinahanap mo?

C: Yan ang problema. Hindi ko alam.

P: Sus! Kung di ka ba naman tanga't kalahati e. Paano mo makikita kung hindi mo alam kung ano ang gusto mong makita? Gudlak naman.

C: Hay. Hindi mo ako maiintindihan. Hindi mo kasi alam ang feeling ng gumising sa umaga sa saliw ng Do you know where you're going to / do you like the things that life is showing you...

P: Mariah Carey version?

C: P---- ina. Ewan ko sa 'yo. Diyan ka na nga!

P: Tanga! Magkasama tayo sa isang katawan. You can't run away from me! (Evil laugh)

The Man Who Sued God (2001)

2009-02-18T05:25:00.006+08:00

Category:	Movies
Genre:	Comedy

Steve Myers (Billy Connolly) is an eccentric guy who drops out of society after losing his job, marriage and almost all his worldly possessions. He invests all his money in a yacht to start the simpler life of a fisherman. Conflict begins when he wakes up one day to find that his yacht has been struck by lightning. He files a claim with the insurance company, but the latter refuses on the ground that the boat’s destruction was an “act of God”. Finding that he wouldn’t stand a chance if he sues one of the world’s biggest insurance companies, he decides to sue the root of his problems – God, and names the Pope, the local bishop and a rabbi as respondents. God’s representatives face the dilemma of admitting that the destruction of Steve’s boat was actually God's act and compensate the former, or deny it and thereby deny God’s existence.

I forgot much of the film’s details because I saw it a loooong time ago in one of those Australian film fests held in UP Film Center, but the fresh concept and engaging humor made me remember it as I was reading an Insurance case (where the insurance company raised the defense of force majeure to escape liability under the insurance contract). Back to the movie. Much of the film’s brilliance comes from Billy Connolly’s portrayal of the ill-tempered hero, who, despite his eccentricities, easily attracts the audience’s sympathy. And why not, he is cleverly depicted as David who engages in a fight against society’s Goliaths -- the Church, the media and the legal system. The biggest joke, I think, is that Steve himself was a lawyer who gave up law because of his disappointment with the corruption afflicting the profession.

The movie tackles philosophical issues about God’s existence and his involvement in people’s lives and makes a case against greedy insurance companies who insure their profit more than their clients’ welfare.

Rating: 4 stars

For a real case against God, read the story below.

Prisoner sues God
(from (http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_1576068.html)

A Romanian prisoner is suing God for failing to save him from the Devil.

The inmate, named as Pavel M in media reports, accused God of "cheating, abuse and traffic of influence".

His complaint reads: "I, the undersigned Pavel M, currently jailed at Timisoara Penitentiary serving a 20 years sentence for murder, request legal action against God, resident in Heaven, and represented here by the Romanian Orthodox Church, for committing the following crimes: cheating, concealment, abuse against people's interest, taking bribe and traffic of influence."

The inmate argued that his baptism was a contract between him and God who was supposed to keep the Devil away and keep him out of trouble.

He added: "God even claimed and received from me various goods and prayers in exchange for forgiveness and the promise that I would be rid of problems and have a better life. But on the contrary I was left in Devil's hands."

The complaint was sent to the Timisoara Court of Justice and forwarded to the prosecutor's office. But prosecutors said it would probably be dropped and they were unable to subpoena God to court.

Gobbledygook (or words of a perfectly perplexed person parrying patois)

2009-02-17T10:35:00.005+08:00

Pactum commissorium!
This is not a spell from the world of Harry Potter. This is just one of the many alien terminologies in law that make its study harder than it already is -– antichresis, dacion en pago, usufruct, commodatum. There are those that seem harmless enough because of common usage but are actually more toxic than the foreign-language stuff -- insurance, possession, loan, mortgage, agency, partnership.

The key, one of my professors said, is to consult a dictionary. But alas, the definition provides more questions than answers, and one ends up jumping from one entry to another in the search for meaning. A student may a) rely on context clues, or b) continue reading as if the abstruse term does not exist. Doing any of these will definitely shorten the time spent on reading, which, being inversely proportional to the time for R&R, makes the aforementioned options very attractive. And yes, will also increase the chances of one being Avada Kedavraed by the professor come recitation time.

half-truths

2009-02-12T12:20:00.001+08:00

You Are Charming and Eloquent

You are influential and persuasive. You tend to have a lot of power over people.
Generally, you use your powers for good. You excel at solving other people's problems.
Occasionally, you do get a little selfish and persuade people to do things that are only in your interest.

You are wild, crazy, and a huge rebel. You're always up to something.
You have a ton of energy, and most people can't handle you. You're very intense.
You definitely are a handful, and you're likely to get in trouble. But your kind of trouble is a lot of fun.

You tend to be pretty tightly wound. It's easy to get you excited... which can be a good or bad thing.
You have a lot of enthusiasm, but it fades rather quickly. You don't stick with any one thing for very long.
You have the drive to accomplish a lot in a short amount of time. Your biggest problem is making sure you finish the projects you start.

You are very intuitive and wise. You understand the world better than most people.
You also have a very active imagination. You often get carried away with your thoughts.
You are prone to a little paranoia and jealousy. You sometimes go overboard in interpreting signals.

You are very open. You communicate well, and you connect with other people easily.
You are a naturally creative person. Ideas just flow from your mind.
A true chameleon, you are many things at different points in your life. You are very adaptable.

You are friendly, charming, and warm. You get along with almost everyone.
You work hard not to rock the boat. Your easy going attitude brings people together.
At times, you can be a little flaky and irresponsible. But for the important things, you pull it together.

You are the total package - suave, sexy, smart, and strong.
You have the whole world under your spell, and you can influence almost everyone you know.
You don't always resist your urges to crush the weak. Just remember, they don't have as much going for them as you do.

You are usually the best at everything ... you strive for perfection.
You are confident, authoritative, and aggressive.
You have the classic "Type A" personality.

You are confident, self assured, and capable. You are not easily intimidated.
You master any and all skills easily. You don't have to work hard for what you want.
You make your life out to be exactly how you want it. And you'll knock down anyone who gets in your way!

You are incredibly wise and perceptive. You have a lot of life experience.
You are a natural peacemaker, and you are especially good at helping others get along.
But keeping the peace in your own life is not easy. You see things very differently, and it's hard to get you to budge.

What's" Your Name's Hidden Meaning?

pasok sa banga!

2009-01-16T10:32:00.004+08:00

“Being a middle child would mean they are loners. They really don’t like to latch on to a person in a relationship, therefore they have trouble keeping one due to lack of interest. Not liking to take the limelight for anything, they are not over achievers and just simply work enough work to get by, and typically that goes with school as well as a career. They are however very artistic and creative. If forced to use abilities they will work well, but do not work well under pressure. They often start several projects but rarely keep focused long enough to finish a project. The best career move for a middle child would be along the lines of using their creative. Going into a writing or journalism career, and into a career that they could freely express themselves would be good. Anything that would have hours that are flexible, and projects that frequently changed would be good for a middle born child. Since relationships are not of high importance to a middle child, often times they are alone. However, the best possible match for a middle child would be a last born.” (From the advice website http://www.essortment.com/)

Why do I have a feeling that this was written for me?

Escaped from Azkaban!

2009-01-09T09:25:00.011+08:00

For more effects, check out http://photofunia.com/

This Year

2009-01-08T08:30:00.003+08:00

by Chantal Kreviazuk
OST -- Serendipity

This year, is gonna be incredible
This year, is gonna be the one
All the planets are lining up for me
This year, I'm gonna have fun

This year, I'll paint my masterpiece
This year, I'll be recognized
I can feel like I'll fall in love for real
This year, this year

January, I'll learn to fly
February, love's gonna find me
March, April, May, I'll get carried away
Oh, oh...

This year, I'll reach the pinnacle
This year, I'll get to the top
People will ask where she get that energy
This year, I'm never gonna stop

January, I'll learn to fly
February, love's gonna find me
March, April, May, I'll get carried away
Oh, oh, oh, oh...

This year, is gonna be incredible
This year, is gonna be the one
All the planets are lining up for me
This year, I'm gonna have fun

I'm gonna have fun
Just watch me now
This year
This year
This year

Don’t Bore Us – Get to the chorus! Roxette's Greatest Hits

2009-01-07T05:20:00.012+08:00

Category:	Music
Genre:	Other
Artist:	Roxette (1995)

When they say “greatest hits,” they mean it. I fell in love with this CD from the Swedish duo Roxette the first time I heard it. And why not? The album includes some of their most popular hits like The Look, Dangerous, Dressed for Success and Vulnerable, heartbreak hymns It Must Have Been Love, You Don’t Understand Me, Spending My Time, and the little-known yet overly heartrending Crash! Boom! Bang! (Cos every time I seem to fall in love / Crash! Boom! Bang!/ I find the heart but then I hit the wall / Crash! Boom! Bang!/ That's my real middle-name / It has always been the same…), all guaranteed to get anyone singing along. Sunshine-y ditties June Afternoon, Joyride, The Big L and How Do You Do complete the collection.

With all these hits, Roxette doesn’t really have to enjoin us to get to the chorus. Too bad they didn’t stay long enough to give us more.

Rating: 4 stars

18 Til I Die

2009-01-07T05:16:00.006+08:00

Category:	Music
Genre:	Other
Artist:	Bryan Adams (1996)

I’m not a Bryan Adams fan but during the long vacation, I (re)discovered his 18 Til I Die album and was pleasantly surprised. We had the CD since I was in 5th grade and I never realized that it’s pretty sexy. =)

The 13-track album showcases Adams’ versatility. Contrary to what I thought, his sound is not limited to Canadian mellow rock. There is quite a number of romantic ballads (I Think About You, You’re Still Beautiful To Me and probably the most popular in the album, Have You Ever Really Loved a Woman), a couple of pop-py songs (Star, We’re Gonna Win), and some sweet sexy stuff (Let’s Make a Night to Remember, Do To You, The Only Thing That Looks Good On Me Is You). The title track 18 Til I Die is a bit so-so but it’s worth listening to if only for its live-for-the-moment message.

And oh, did I say sexy? Watch for track # 6. It’s called I Wanna Be Your Underwear. Ooh, hot…

Rating: 3 stars

Ang Aking Bakasyon

2009-01-05T12:44:00.002+08:00

Noong elementary student pa lang ako, tuwing darating ang Enero’y pinagsusulat kami ng formal theme tungkol sa kung ano ang ginawa namin sa nakaraang Christmas vacation. Dahil hindi ko naman puwedeng ilagay na nagbasa ako ng libro (boring), nanood ng TV (tamad), o ginawang errand girl ng nanay ko (kawawa), ay laging ang bakasyon sa isang malayong lugar na kung tawagin ay Maynila (promdi e) ang aking ikinikuwento. Ilalahad ko kung paano kami namasyal ng mga pinsan kong Manilenyo sa mall at siyempre sa Manila Zoo. Nangyari naman talaga yon nung Grade 4, sakto sa first ever formal theme, pero noong Grade 5 at 6, dahil wala nang mailagay ay ni-rehash ko na lang. Iba naman ang teacher e. Saka nag-mature naman siguro ang aking writing, bukod pa sa dumami ang mga hayop sa zoo. Ngayon, dahil wala nang teacher na magchi-check at magbibigay ng grade, di na ako mag-iisip ng magandang kuwento at mag-aalala sa grammar. Bullet points lang ok na. =)

· Nag-unwind kasama ang ranters. Yes, the Order of the Pasaway Forever lived up to their name at nagpaka-pasaway sa Boni High Street, matagumpay na na-B.I. si Gian pero bigo pagdating kay Tin. Tsktsk.
· Christmas parties. Nag-mellow down na ako at di na masyadong naglalasing. Medyo nasira kasi ang reputasyon ko dati...
· Christmas shopping. Hindi masyadong enjoy dahil ayoko talaga lumabas/ sa mga mall/sa mga tao. Buti na lang tapos na.
· Nanood ng TV. Vacation is the time to catch up on what I’ve been missing because of evening classes. Dyosa, I love Betty La Fea, Eva Fonda, Pinoy Fear Factor… Parang na-miss ko bigla ang Malcolm. Hehe.
· Nag-alaga ng mga hayop. “Mga hayop kayo!” ang tangi kong nasambit dahil nakakapagod ang magpakain at magpaligo sa mga pets ng nanay ko (1 aso at 4 pusa). Nadagdag pa si Marble, ang Persian cat from Tin na mukhang nahawa sa couch potato mode ko.
· Nanood ng movies. Hindi ko masabing movie marathon kasi dalawang pelikula lang naman ang pinanood ko nang paulit-ulit-ulit: Breakfast at Tiffany’s at Roman Holiday. I love Audrey Hepburn!
· Nag-sound trip. Ngayon ko lang ulit napakinggan ang aking Beatles collection. At nakuha ko pang maghukay sa baul ng mga ancient CDs ni Bryan Adams at ng Roxette (at gumawa ng review tungkol sa mga ito).
· Gumawa ng digest. Out of 62 cases to digests, I wrote a whopping… seven digest! Hay, petiks!

Medyo uneventful pero masaya naman. Sana talaga, matupad ko na ang pangakong “Magbabagong-buhay na ako this year, promise!”

Why did you take up Law?

2008-12-10T09:05:00.003+08:00

18 months ko nang iniisip ang sagot sa tanong na ito. Tanong na sa tuwing unang araw ng klase ay ipinupukol ng mga propesor sa mga estudyante. Iba-iba na ang naging sagot ko. Nandiyang sabihing childhood dream ko ito, gusto kong makatulong sa mga naapi, at enjoy lang talaga akong mag-aral (SFX: THUNDER). Pero sa loob-loob ko, wala talaga akong maapuhap na sagot. Ngayong semestre, ang tanging propesor na nagtanong ay sinagot ko ng matuwid na “I’m not really sure. I guess I’m looking for my purpose, which is a fancy way of saying that I was bored and confused when I applied.” Wala e, yun talaga. Tinamad na akong mag-isip ng magandang dahilan. Nabagot ako sa buhay-opisina (na kung tutuusin ay hindi naman talaga nakakabagot kasi showbiz). Buti na lang hindi ako pinalabas ng classroom.

Sabi ng mga kaibigan ko, “Ituloy mo lang, sayang naman.” Oo nga. Maraming kumatok sa pintuan ng Malcolm pero ilan lang ang pinagbuksan. Balita ko, sa 6,000 na nag-exam, 300 ang pumasa at nag-qualify sa interview. 200++ dito ang tuluyang natanggap. Tsamba lang, sabi ko. Destiny, sabi ng iba. Ano bang destiny? Ang destiny ay iyong tipong kahit matulog ka ng 12 hours araw-araw at hindi magbasa, makakasagot ka pa rin sa recitations/quizzes/exams. Excuse ng mga tamad para di magsikap, palusot ng masisipag para di magmukhang nerd.

Ang totoo, hindi ko talaga pinangarap maging abogado. Lahat na yata inambisyon ko noong bata ako -– doktor, nurse, teacher, bumbero (hindi boldstar ha), pulis, presidente at astronaut. Dalawa lang yata ang hindi nasama sa listahan –- maging abogado at maging beauty queen. “Sa dami naman ng course na puwedeng kunin, bakit Law pa?” Hirit yan ng boss ko isang araw na mukha akong haggard (mas haggard than usual). Napaisip tuloy ako. Ang totoo’y gusto kong mag-MA sa History, kaya lang tapos na ang application period nung naisipan kong mag-aral. Hindi ko na kayang maghintay ng isa pang taon. E sakto, ongoing ang application for LAE. Puwede na, astig pang pakinggan. Ganon din ako nung undergrad. Journalism kasi may ism sa dulo. Kaysa naman History di ba?

Ngayon, makalipas ang 18 months, hindi ko pa rin alam ang sagot. Wala talagang katiyakan ang future, pero hindi naman ibig sabihin ay patuloy tayong mangangapa sa dilim. Kahit hindi ko masagot ang tanong na ito, sapat na sigurong sagot ang araw-araw na pagpupuyat (weh?!) at paglipad mula sa opisina papuntang school, pagpapadugo ng utak at ang pagtatapang-tapangan sa harap ng mga kaklase’t propesor. =)

Para Kay B (O kung paano dinevastate ng pag-ibig ang 4 out of 5 sa atin)

2008-12-03T05:27:00.007+08:00

Category:	Books
Genre:	Literature & Fiction
Author:	Ricky Lee

“Me quota ang pag-ibig. Sa bawat limang umiibig, iisa lang ang magiging maligaya. Ang iba, iibig sa di sila iniibig. O iibig nang di natututo. O iibig sa wala. O di iibig kailanman.”

Iyan ang teorya sa likod ng unang nobela ng batikang scriptwriter na si Ricky Lee. Matapos ang ilang taon ng pananahimik, heto si G. Lee at nagbibigay ng isang nakaka-engganyo at nakakaaliw na istorya tungkol sa topic na gusto nating lahat – Love (ok, assumption ko lang yun, hehe).

Sa mga pamilyar sa likha niya, ang "Para Kay B (O kung paano dinevastate ng pag-ibig ang 4 out of 5 sa atin)" ay maituturing na bago o kakaiba kumpara sa kanyang kadalasang sinusulat. Siya ang scripwriter sa likod ng mga premyadong pelikulang "Himala," "Anak," at "Moral," at ang awtor ng "Trip to Quiapo," isang scriptwriting manual. Creative consultant din sya para sa ilang drama programs ng ABS-CBN. Kabilang sa mga sinulat niya ay ang short stories na "Servando Magdamag" at "Kabilang sa mga Nawawala" na required reading namin noon sa Humanidades I. Ang una’y di ko masyado naintindihan pero pinasalamatan ko pa rin ang aming prof dahil inassign nya sa amin ang wirdong istoryang iyon. (Gagawin daw movie ni Lav Diaz ang Servando. Gudlak na lang).

Bagamat ang Para kay B ay isang nobela, hindi rin ito nalalayo sa mga likhang pampelikula at telebisyon ni Ricky Lee. Ang mga tauhan ay buhay na buhay, ang mga location, itsura at emosyon ng mga karakter ay malinaw na nailarawan. Para ka na ring nanood ng pelikula habang binabasa ito. Ang storytelling technique ay hindi conventional. Parang pinaghalo ang script at nobela. Gamit ang pang-araw-araw na Filipino language, madaling naiparating ni G. Lee sa mga mambabasa, matanda o bata, mapa-jologs man o sosyal, ang gusto niyang sabihin. Mayroon ding hint ng magic realism, na sa konteksto ng kuwento ay masasabing hindi naman talaga style o genre dahil sa pag-ibig, nagiging magical talaga ang realidad. O dahil reality is relative? Whatever.

Iba’t ibang mukha ng pag-ibig ang ipinakita ni Lee sa pamamagitan ng kanyang limang kuwento – bawal na pag-ibig, hangal na pag-ibig, komersyalisadong pag-ibig, pag-ibig na di malimot, pag-ibig na di malaman kung pag-ibig nga talaga. Sa gitna ng lahat ng ito, ang hamon sa mga mambabasa ay kung maniniwala tayo sa Teorya ng Pag-ibig o kung tayo’y gagawa ng sariling teorya kung saan kasama tayo sa quota.

Rating: 5 stars

new theme

2008-11-24T03:31:00.002+08:00

I woke up early to study for Credit Transactions but I ended up searching the web for a new Multiply theme. Umalingawngaw na naman sa isip ko ang aking mantra, “Time you enjoyed wasting is time not wasted.” (salamat, John Lennon.) Why can I stay up for extra-curricular activities but not for reading cases?

Hahay. I’m too tired to read. My rayuma is on the offensive again because ot the two games of basketball we played for Courts of Law yesterday. Yes, the Queen of Sedentary Lifestyle moi played ball without even warming up. Hayan, sakit tuloy ng katawan ang inabot. At least I’ve done some of the stuff I never thought I could do:

1. Be in a game and not be a cheerer
2. Be in court and enjoy
3. Exercise!
4. Masapak si Golda (tama bang i-foul ang team mate?)

Masaya pala mag-jogging sa court, haha.
Buti na lang naka-score sila Golda at Tin, we won against Block C. =)

the death report

2008-09-18T10:16:00.001+08:00

142,172 People

Unusual Deaths in 1984
Tommy Cooper collapsed from a massive heart attack in front of millions of television viewers, midway through his act, on the popular ITV variety show, live from Her Majesty's. At first the audience assumed he was joking.
Jon-erik Hexum, an American television actor, died after he shot himself in the head with a prop gun during a break in filming. Hexum apparently did not realize that blanks use paper or plastic wadding to seal gun powder into the shell, and that this wadding is propelled out of the barrel of the gun with enough force to cause severe injury or death if the weapon is fired at point-blank range.

People who died on September 18 (various years)
2007 - Pepsi Tate Bassist from the glam-rock band, tigertailz
2005 - Michael Park, British Rally co-driver
2004 - Russ Meyer, American film director
2004 - Norman Cantor, Canadian historian
2003 - Bob Mitchell, British politician
2003 - Emil Fackenheim, German Holocaust survivor and philosopher
2002 - Mauro Ramos, Brazilian football player
2002 - Bob Hayes, American athlete
2001 - Ernie Coombs, Canadian entertainer
1997 - Jimmy Witherspoon, blues singer
1994 - Vitas Gerulaitis, American tennis player
1980 - Katherine Anne Porter, American novelist
1977 - Paul Bernays, Swiss mathematician
1970 - Jimi Hendrix, American musician
1967 - John Cockcroft, British physicist, Nobel Prize laureate
1964 - Sean O'Casey, Irish writer
1964 - Clive Bell, English art critic
1961 - Dag Hammarskjöld, Swedish United Nations Secretary-General and distinguished economist, recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize
1959 - Benjamin Péret, French surrealist author
1956 - Adélard Godbout, premier of Quebec
1953 - Charles de Tornaco, Belgian racing driver
1949 - Frank Morgan, American actor
1944 - Robert G. Cole American Paratrooper of the 101st, 502nd division
1939 - Stanisław Ignacy Witkiewicz, Polish writer, painter, and photographer
1924 - Francis Herbert Bradley, British philosopher
1911 - Pyotr Stolypin, Russian politician
1905 - George MacDonald, Scottish writer and minister
1896 - Hippolyte Fizeau, French physicist
1891 - William Ferrel, American mathematician
1872 - King Charles XV / Carl IV of Sweden and Norway
1860 - Joseph Locke, English railway builder and civil engineer
1830 - William Hazlitt, English essayist
1827 - Robert Pollok, Scottish poet
1792 - August Gottlieb Spangenberg, German religious leader
1783 - Benjamin Kennicott, English churchman and Hebrew scholar
1783 - Leonhard Euler, Swiss mathematician
1722 - André Dacier, French classical scholar
1721 - Matthew Prior, English poet and diplomat
1675 - Charles IV, Duke of Lorraine
1663 - St Joseph of Cupertino, Italian saint
1630 - Melchior Klesl, Austrian cardinal and statesman
1598 - Toyotomi Hideyoshi, Japanese warlord
1180 - King Louis VII of France
887 - Pietro I Candiano, Doge of Venice (killed in battle)
96 - Domitian, Roman Emperor (b. 51)

Bibliophilia*

2008-09-16T11:48:00.001+08:00

Here's a hilariously naughty poem for all the book lovers out there. =)

Some like the aroma of kitchens

Others, the bouquet of fine wine.

I like the look and smell of a book

As I lovingly finger its spine.

I long to uncover its secrets

I just want to take it to bed

Most delicious of treats,

To slip into its sheets

Head down, pages spread.

*By Tony Lupton

From the website http://www.funnypoets.com/poems/bibliophilia.htm

Tagubilin at Habilin* (Jose F. Lacaba)

2008-09-10T08:09:00.002+08:00

*Ni-repost nang may pahintulot ng may-akda. Makikita po ang background ng tulang ito sa blog na http://kapetesapatalim.blogspot.com. Ito po ay kasama sa CD ni Bb. Armida Siguion-Reyna na pinamagatang "Pop Lola".

Mabuhay ka, kaibigan!
Mabuhay ka!
Iyan ang una't huli kong
Tagubilin at habilin:
Mabuhay ka!

Sa edad kong ito, marami akong maibibigay na payo.
Mayaman ako sa payo.

Maghugas ka ng kamay bago kumain.
Maghugas ka ng kamay pagkatapos kumain.
Pero huwag kang maghuhugas ng kamay para lang makaiwas sa sisi.
Huwag kang maghuhugas ng kamay kung may inaapi
Na kaya mong tulungan.

Paupuin sa bus ang matatanda at ang mga may kalong na sanggol.
Magpasalamat sa nagmamagandang-loob.
Matuto sa karanasan ng matatanda
Pero huwag magpatali sa kaisipang makaluma.

Huwag piliting matulog kung ayaw kang dalawin ng antok.
Huwag pag-aksayahan ng panahon ang walang utang na loob.
Huwag makipagtalo sa bobo at baka ka mapagkamalang bobo.
Huwag bubulong-bulong sa mga panahong kailangang sumigaw.

Huwag kang manalig sa bulung-bulungan.
Huwag kang papatay-patay sa ilalim ng pabitin.
Huwag kang tutulog-tulog sa pansitan.

Umawit ka kung nag-iisa sa banyo.
Umawit ka sa piling ng barkada.
Umawit ka kung nalulungkot.
Umawit ka kung masaya.

Ingat lang.

Huwag kang aawit ng “My Way” sa videoke bar at baka ka mabaril.
Huwag kang magsindi ng sigarilyo sa gasolinahan.
Dahan-dahan sa matatarik na landas.
Dahan-dahan sa malulubak na daan.

Higit sa lahat, inuulit ko:
Mabuhay ka, kaibigan!

Mabuhay ka!
Iyan ang una't huli kong
Tagubilin at habilin:
Mabuhay ka!

Maraming bagay sa mundo na nakakadismaya.
Mabuhay ka.
Maraming problema ang mundo na wala na yatang lunas.
Mabuhay ka.

Sa hirap ng panahon, sa harap ng kabiguan,
Kung minsan ay gusto mo nang mamatay.
Gusto mong maglaslas ng pulso kung sawi sa pag-ibig.
Gusto mong uminom ng lason kung wala nang makain.
Gusto mong magbigti kung napakabigat ng mga pasanin.
Gusto mong pasabugin ang bungo mo kung maraming gumugulo sa utak.

Narinig mo ang sinasabi ng awitin:
“Gising at magbangon sa pagkagupiling,
Sa pagkakatulog na lubhang mahimbing.”
Gumising ka kung hinaharana ka ng pag-ibig.
Bumangon ka kung nananawagan ang kapuspalad.

Ang sabi ng iba: “Ang matapang ay walang-takot lumaban.”
Ang sabi ko naman: Ang tunay na matapang ay lumalaban
Kahit natatakot.

Lumaban ka kung inginungodngod ang nguso mo sa putik.
Bumalikwas ka kung tinatapak-tapakan ka.
Buong-tapang mong ipaglaban ang iyong mga prinsipyo
Kahit hindi ka sigurado na agad-agad kang mananalo.

Mabuhay ka, kaibigan!
Mabuhay ka!
Iyan ang una't huli kong
Tagubilin at habilin:
Mabuhay ka!

Welcome to Beijing 北京欢迎你 (English and Chinese subtitles)

2008-08-20T11:07:00.002+08:00

My newest obsession, thanks to Golda. =)

Beijing Huan Ying Ni
Ying jie ling yi ge chen xi
dai lai quan xin kong qi
Qi xi gai bian qing wei bu bian
cha xiang piao man qing yi
Wo jia da men chang da kai
kai fang huai bao deng ni
Yong bao guo jiu you le mo qi
ni hui ai shang zhe li
Bu guan yuan jin dou shi ke ren
qing bu yong ke qi
Xiang yue hao le zai yi qi
wo men huan… ying ni
Wo jia zhong zhe wan nian qing
kai fang mei duan zhuan qi
Wei zhuan tong de tu rang bo zhong
wei ni liu xia hui yi
Mo sheng shou xi dou shi ke ren
qing bu yong ju li
Di ji ci lai mei guan xi
you tai duo hua ti

Beijing huan ying ni
wei ni kai tian pi di
Liu dong zhong de mei li
chong man zhe chao qi
Beijing huan ying ni
zai tai yang xia fen xiang hu xi
Zai huang tu di shua xin cheng ji

Wo jia da men chang da kai
kai huai rong na tian di
Sui yue zhan fang qing chun xiao rong
ying jie zhe ge ri qi
Tian da di da dou shi peng you
qing bu yong ke qi
Hua yi shi yi dai xiao yi
zhi wei deng dai ni

Beijing huan ying ni
xiang yin yue gan dong ni
Rang wo men dou jia you qu chao yue zi ji
Beijing huan ying ni
you meng xiang shei dou liao bu qi
You yong qi jiu hui you qi ji
Beijing huan ying ni
wei ni kai tian pi di
Liu dong zhong de mei li
chong man zhe chao qi
Beijing huan ying ni
zai tai yang xia fen hu xi
Zai huang tu di shua xin cheng ji
Beijing huan ying ni
xiang yin yue gan dong ni
Rang wo men dou jia you qu chao yue zi ji
Beijing huan ying ni
you meng xiang shei dou liao bu qi
You yong qi jiu hui you qi ji

[Chinese Opera]

Wo jia da men chang da kai
kai fang huai bao deng ni
Yong bao guo jiu you le mo qi
ni hui ai shang zhe li
Bu guan yuan jin dou shi ke ren
qing bu yong ke qi
Xiang yue hao le zai yi qi
wo men huan ying ni

Beijing huan ying ni
wei ni kai tian pi di
Liu dong zhong de mei li
chong man zhe chao qi
Beijing huan ying ni
zai tai yang xia fen xiang hu xi
Zai huang tu di shua xin cheng ji

Wo jia da men chang da kai
kai fang huai bao deng ni
Sui yue zhan fang qing chun xiao rong
ying jie zhe ge ri qi
Tian da di da dou shi peng you
qing bu yong ke qi
Hua yi shi qing dai xiao yi
zhi wei deng dai ni

Beijing huan ying ni
xiang yin yue gan dong ni
Rang wo men dou jia you qu chao yue zi ji
Beijing huan ying ni
you meng xiang shei dou liao bu qi
You yong qi jiu hui you qi ji
Beijing huan ying ni
wei ni kai tian pi di
Liu dong zhong de mei li
chong man zhe chao qi
Beijing huan ying ni
zai tai yang xia fen xiang hu xi
Zai huang tu di shua xin cheng ji
Beijing huan ying ni
xiang yin yue gan dong ni
Rang wo men dou jia you qu chao yue zi ji
Beijing huan ying ni
you meng xiang shei dou liao bu qi
You yong qi jiu hui you qi ji

Beijing huan ying ni
you meng xiang shei dou liao bu qi
you yong qi jiu hui you qi ji
Beijing huan ying ni
you meng xiang shei dou liao bu qi
you yong qi jiu hui you qi ji

Attractive Nuisance

2008-07-11T17:02:00.003+08:00

So there really is such thing. I thought the professor was kidding when he put in the class syllabus under the topic Limitations on ownership and other property rights something called "attractive nuisance". Aside from me, I couldn't think of any other example (shet, baka tamaan ako ng kidlat. Haha). To add to my incredulity, Article 695 of the Civil Code provides for only two types of nuisance -- public and private.

In the case Hidalgo Enterprises vs. Guillermo Balandan (G.R. No. L-3422, June 13, 1952), the doctrine is explained as follows:

"One who maintains on his premises dangerous instrumentalities or appliances of a character likely to attract children in play, and who fails to exercise ordinary care to prevent children from playing therewith or resorting thereto, is liable to a child of tender years who is injured thereby, even if the child is technically a trespasser in the premises... The principle reason for the doctrine is that the condition or appliance in question although its danger is apparent to those of age, is so enticing or alluring to children of tender years as to induce them to approach, get on or use it, and this attractiveness is an implied invitation to such children."

The doctrine is a common law invention so it's not in our civil law.

The above explanation brings to mind some enticing appliances likely to put reckless individuals to danger if used without caution. But they're part of the anatomy so I guess it's not within the contemplation of the law. *grin*

Kaming Mga Antukin. Bow.*

2008-06-27T15:05:00.006+08:00

Bakit may mga taong mabilis maidlip

Kahit ilang tasa ng kape ang masipsip

Ang sandamakmak na readings ay di kinakaya

Natutumba na sa ikalawang pahina.

Gabi-gabi na lang ako ay ganito

Kaya sa klase ay sobrang kabado

Nananalangin na hindi matawag

At mangangakong magbabasa na magdamag.

Subalit sa susunod na gabi

Ganon ulit ang mangyayari

Minsang hihikab at iinat-inat

At sikat ng araw ang sakin ay gugulat.

Sa gabi ng klase ay muling iiral

Ang mga pangako at dasal

Baka mapagod ang mga santo

Siguro'y oras na para magpakatino.

*unang ibinahagi sa ranters, ang mga kaklaseng kadamay sa araw-araw na pakikipagtunggali sa antok at kaba.

Tumba sa Tequila

2008-06-20T16:06:00.002+08:00

Sa buong buhay ko bilang manginginom, hindi pa ako nalasing nang sobra, yung tipong humahantong sa paglabas sa bibig ng mga ipinasok din sa bibig. Pinakagrabe na ang pagkausap sa mga imaginary friends at ang abnormal functioning ng cerebellum. Subalit kamakailan lang, nasira ang aking rekord. Matapos ang isa't kalahating bote ng Don Enrique Mixkila (hehe, plugging ito), nangyari ang hindi dapat mangyari. Damang-dama ko ang pagbaliktad ng aking sikmura, kulang na lang yata ay lumabas din ang esophagus. Mabuti na lang at matiyaga akong inasikaso nina Goldie, Mayee, Kelly at Lynie.

At isinumpa kong hinding-hindi na uli ako titikim ng tequila, tulad nang sinabi ko noong araw na gumapang ako mula sa Sunken Garden pauwi ng Kamia Residence Hall mga apat na taon na ang nakalipas.

Oh, I get by with a little help from my friends*

2008-06-19T10:03:00.002+08:00

*pasintabi sa Beatles

The past week has been one of the most physically, mentally and emotionally draining weeks of my life. Although I missed the drama that was enrollment, most of the succeeding episodes were topbilled by moi, hehe. I could have been booted out of school had it not been for the persistence of the ranters who worked together to pull me out of the grave that I dug for my self. With my mood swinging at a dangerously fast pace, I wonder how and why they managed to endure me. Agnes, Gian, Golda, JD, Patty and Tin, thank you so much.

Here’s to another sem of cramming, ranting and drinking! *group hug*

Brighter Than Sunshine

2008-03-05T14:25:00.001+08:00

by Aqualung

I never understood before
I never knew what love was for
My heart was broke, my head was sore
What a feeling

Tied up in ancient history
I didn't believe in destiny
I look up you're standing next to me
What a feeling

What a feeling in my soul
Love burns brighter than sunshine
Brighter than sunshine
Let the rain fall, I don't care
I'm yours and suddenly you're mine
Suddenly you're mine
and it's brighter than sunshine

I never saw it happening
I'd given up and given in
I just couldn't take the hurt again
What a feeling

I didn't have the strength to fight
suddenly you seemed so right
Me and you
What a feeling

What a feeling in my soul
Love burns brighter than sunshine
It's brighter than sunshine
Let the rain fall, I don't care
I'm yours and suddenly you're mine
Suddenly you're mine

It's brighter than the sun
It's brighter than the sun
It's brighter than the sun, sun, shine.

Love will remain a mystery
But give me your hand and you will see
Your heart is keeping time with me

What a feeling in my soul
Love burns brighter than sunshine
It's brighter than sunshine
Let the rain fall, I don't care
I'm yours and suddenly you're mine
Suddenly you're mine

I got a feeling in my soul ...(repeat chorus to end)

madness, indeed

2008-01-14T20:37:00.001+08:00

My deplorable lack of creativity hit all-time high these past few days so I am posting what some geniuses from the junior class have concocted for last year's (ok, this is a bit too late) Malcolm Madness. Thanks, Vani, for sharing these with our block.

Ready, sing...

TULOY PA RIN
Galing lang ako sa Corpo
At ako’y natuliro
Ang klase namin alas-kwatro
Nagkandarapa pa naman
Badtrip hindi sya pumasok
Sana di nalang nagpagod
Isang libo na yata ang nasigarilyo
Inaabangan ang Pasko

Wala rin mangyayari
Kung papasukan pa
Maghihintay nalang
May magic notes naman
Lecture naman ito
Uwi na lang ako

*****

STAY
Profs say, I only read what I want to
And they say I talk so all the time, so
And they said that my mind was simple
And they said that I don’t belong
And now that I am leaving
Now I know that they said something wrong
They dissed me
Yeah… They dissed me.

And they say, I only read what I want to
I don’t listen hard, don’t pay attention to the facts, the issues, ratio
To anyone, anywhere
I don’t understand if you really care
I’m only hearing negative -- L O A

So I turned to OCS, got an LOA form
and Ma’am Daway told me to be strong
“Trust in the Lord and don’t run away
Just stop crying, it won’t help you anyway”
Some of us hover and we weep for the others
who were dying since the day they enrolled, well, well
This is not why I think that I’m going, but I’m gone
And I thought I’d be here forever
But now I’m not so sure
She tried to tell me that I’m clever
but that won’t take me anyhow or anywhere with law

Hilbay said I was naïve and I knew that he was wrong, oh
I thought, hey I can leave I can leave oh
But now I know where I belong
UP law school
Yeah… UP law school

*****

HIMALA
Pangarap ko
Makuha ang TRES sa subject na yan
Pina-finals mo
Sa amin ang
Multiple choice na walang hangganan

Hindi mahanap sa classcard ang pag-asa
Magreremovals nalang

Himala
Kasalan bang humingi ako kay Barry ng
Isang himala
Kasalan bang humingi ako kay Barry ng
Isang himala

*****

WAG MO NANG ITANONG
Singko…ang inabot ko
Nang piliting pumasa sayo
Kahit kwatro….
Jan sa subject mong
Parang sweepstakes
Ang hirap manalo

Ngayon… mabilaukan ka sana
Iwan ng asawa
walanghiya ka!

Pangit ka, mukhang gusgusin
…. Mukhang libagin
pangit ka, sarap gaguhin
Sana Lord, ikaw ay kunin…

*****

BURN
I could’ve been a poet and write
I could’ve been an actor up in lights
I could’ve been a soldier… and fight for love

I could’ve travelled the world
Or been a diver for pearls
Or climb a mountain and touch the clouds above

I chose to be an attorney
Bring to life my fantasy
But I got a FIVE in return

I want you to burn
Burn for me JJ
In a bonfire, in the dark
Oh burn… burn for me… burn for me…

I Have a Bad Case of Diarrhea

2007-12-27T22:30:00.002+08:00

hahaha!
parang gusto kong magbanyo sa kakatawa. =p

Multiplication

2007-12-08T15:05:00.002+08:00

It's been too long since I last posted on this blog. I admit, I have been indulging in a slothfest of sorts. Sleep, eat, sleep, read a little and sleep some more. Oh, I was able to jog around the Acad Oval a couple of weeks ago. Aside from that, the only physical activity I've engaged in was my daily buzzer-beating stride from the MRT station to our office's bundy clock. Haha.

I tried to renew my contact with the outside world by creating a Multiply account. It was meant to be a "virtual stalking" tool but since most everyone have theirs now, I might as well keep mine too. Well, so far it's been way lot easier to use than Blogger (teehee, peace!)

But then again, I'll always be a Blogger baby.

sembreak

2007-11-13T17:03:00.002+08:00

Twenty-one films, three novels and two drinking sessions. That pretty much sums up my sembreak. Not bad for a student employed full-time, eh?

After so many months of barren movie-viewing life, the chance to watch movies in a theater for free came. Thanks goodness Cine Europa coincided with the sembreak this year; I was able to see seven. It was a modest number, for I stopped myself from watching the ones screened beyond MRT hours. The rest was from our office’s DVD collection: Rodgers and Hammerstein classic musicals, Paramount Pictures’ dance pack and Baz Luhrmann’s Red Curtain Trilogy. The experience was reminiscent of my undergrad days when I’d borrow VHS tapes from the Film Department and wait for the dorm’s TV viewing hours to end so I wouldn’t impinge on other dormers’ rights. I would sit there watching alone until the wee hours of the morning. I even secured a permit from the dorm manager for that (Gosh, I was such a dork, to think most of those films weren’t even required.) At home, of course, no permit was needed but I still waited til late night so my siblings wouldn’t miss PBB Celebrity edition.

As if determined to bleed my eyes out, the other vacation activity I had consisted of heavy optic use. During the sem (and earlier), I promised myself not to read in moving vehicles anymore. The books I’ve picked, however, were so good that I couldn’t help but break that promise. So in that way I’ve read Carson McCullers’ The Heart is a Lonely Hunter, Ayn Rand’s Anthem and Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World. I can almost hear my mom saying “Gusto mo talagang mabulag ano?”

But the most fun part of the break was being pariwara (sabi nga ni JD). The ranters, or the members of the block who badger each other with “Nakatulog-ako-slash-hindi-ako-nakapagbasa” messages every morning through their office emails, finally got together, crashed a blockmate’s house, abused that wonderful invention called magic sing (and the blockmate’s neighbors as well), got wasted and repeated the same feat the following weekend. Ang saya!

Res Judicata

2007-10-17T20:52:00.001+08:00

Finally, the sem is over. I’m not quite sure if that’s a reason to be jubilant though, as I haven’t seen the result of the exams yet. I didn’t prepare well enough for it. I doubt if anybody did, except one blockmate who’s always too bibo and prepared for these stuff. The problem with me was I wasn’t able to file a leave of absence from work and my cramming power was not sufficient to go over the truckload of cases (most of which are backlog, the ones I didn’t read during the sem), so most of the answers I gave were pure pambobola. For now, I can only give a sigh of relief.

Wohoo, DVDs and books galore! =)

Duh, two weeks lang pala ang bakasyon. And I still have work.
==> OK, I’m talking to myself again...

What Tarot Card are You?

2007-09-21T20:24:00.001+08:00

I don't believe in fortune-telling of any sort but...

Just curious.

You are The Hierophant

Divine Wisdom. Manifestation. Explanation. Teaching.

All things relating to education, patience, help from superiors.The Hierophant is often considered to be a Guardian Angel.

The Hierophant's purpose is to bring the spiritual down to Earth. Where the High Priestess between her two pillars deals with realms beyond this Earth, the Hierophant (or High Priest) deals with worldly problems. He is well suited to do this because he strives to create harmony and peace in the midst of a crisis. The Hierophant's only problem is that he can be stubborn and hidebound. At his best, he is wise and soothing, at his worst, he is an unbending traditionalist.

What Tarot Card are You?

Take the Test to Find Out.

Almost Perfect

2007-09-21T19:07:00.001+08:00

My leave was approved, there were no classes in Legal Bibliography and Consti (although the circumstances were not exactly great – we only had LegBib sessions thrice so far, and for Consti, Prof M was sick) and I was barraged with text greetings from friends I haven’t heard from in ages. The day had the makings of an ideal birthday. Until I heard the sad news.

Well, I guess things are not supposed to be perfect. Just the same, I thank the Universe for giving me another good year. Thank you po.

****
The day after
I really didn’t want to attend Persons because I fell asleep halfway through the first case (I just didn’t feel like studying on the night of my birthday) and I know by experience that going to class unprepared is the worst thing you can do. But then, I was already absent the previous session so I let the Soul Sisters (Jan & Christine C.) convince me to go to class. Lahat naman daw kami hindi nagbasa, hehe…

At the start of the class Prof R announced, "Someone's celebrating her birthday today." I didn't pay attention to my blockmates who were all staring at me. My birthday was over, the prof was probably referring to somebody from the second years. Perhaps annoyed by my dedma attitude, she said "You're denying it's your birthday Ms. ___?" I said "Ma'am, it's actually yesterday." She answered that when it's your birthday you're supposed to celebrate it for a week (magastos yata masyado yun).

So the class went on like it usually does, except I wasn't called for recit (Agnes says it's probably Prof R's gift for my birthday). When the class was about to end, Prof R said "we will extend a little to see what your blockmates prepared for your birthday" and led the class in singing the Happy Birthday song. Then Christian brought out this cute cake from...I forgot, but it was heavenly. =) It was the ultimate "awww" moment and I wasn't able to keep my tears from flowing. Nakakainis, di pa naman bagay sakin ang umiyak. Prof R shared the cake with us and greeted me again and for a while she was my favorite prof (ahaha!).

I *heart* my blockmates! =)

it's playing inside my head

2007-09-19T18:31:00.001+08:00

Breakfast at Tiffany's
Deep Blue Something

VERSE1:
You say we've got nothing in common
No common ground to start from
And we're falling apart
You say the world has come between us
Our lives have come between us
But I know you just don't care

CHORUS:
And I said "What about Breakfast at Tiffany's?"
She said "I think I remember the film
And as I recall, I think we both kinda liked it"
And I said "Well, that's the one thing we've got"

VERSE 2:
I see you, the only one who knew me
But now your eyes see through me
I guess I was wrong
So what now?
It's plain to see we're over
I hate when things are over
When so much is left undone

CHORUS
REPEAT VERSE1
CHORUS

After the judgment day

2007-09-16T19:51:00.001+08:00

Ang “pang-Friendster” na piktyur with Justice…

one of his rare smiling moments in class

*****

Usually he looks like this:

...and if you can recite without getting jitters with him looking at you like that, maganda ang future mo. =)

***trial photo courtesy of Pierre's blog

A rant a day keeps the doctor away*

2007-09-02T17:57:00.001+08:00

The trouble started on Friday night, after a particularly bad recit in Crim (I've read the assigned pages and memorized the codals but somehow when the prof called my name to recite I couldn't remember anything and after a bit of struggle, I finally gave in to the urge to look at the book in the hope that I'd catch some magic phrase that would make me remember what I studied and save me from further humiliation. It was, of course, a very wrong move.) Strange how I managed to laugh silently and make faces after the prof called somebody else. Months before I would have "disapparated" by force of shame. Matapang/makapal na ako ngayon, hehe.

At home I tried reading an article called "A Prologue to A History of English Law" for next day's class but after an hour of staring at the same page, I abandoned the thing altogether. The footnote says it was first published in 1898. "That's why it's too esoteric," I reasoned to myself. It's an invalid argument, I know, for I can read Dickens and Austen and the Bronte sisters whose works preceded the article by decades without having problems. It helped me not to feel too bad about myself. I went to bed and stayed up for thirty minutes contemplating whether or not I will drop Legal History. But morning came and to class I went, although I was asleep the whole time with my eyes open.

In the afternoon I rambled off to the little bookshop across the UP Post Ofice where I spotted Sylvia Plath's The Bell Jar. I was almost in tears at the sight of it (I've always wanted to own a copy but I couldn't find any), and so I bought it even though I wouldn't have the time to do some extra-curricular readings. =( I stowed it away after covering it with plastic and began reading the Persons cases in earnest. After a few minutes, however, I decided to read the book, having been sufficiently distracted by images of a woman baking her head in the oven (that's how Plath killed herself, I think).

Now I'm done with it and I don't know what to think. The book's theme of "search for identity and descent towards madness" muddled my already problematic sense of self. Or maybe it's just the rain. Or the cups of coffee I washed my stomach with after devouring bars of Cloud 9 which had the effect opposite its name (I have yet to figure out whether chocolate is an upper or a downer).

I think about the inscription at Malcolm and how it should read "Abandon all hope, ye who enter here" instead. I remember the word "involution" and how my Kasaysayan 100 prof said it's when a complex civilization deteriorates when it has reached its full potential, and then I imagine my brain losing its convolutions and turning into a smooth mass, like that of a rat's.

I think I'm going crazy.

*pasintabi kay Tin

Unconstitutional recit

2007-08-30T09:19:00.001+08:00

I just had my longest recit last Tuesday. It sure feels weird to stand for an hour and still manage to come up with decent answers (ngayon lang nangyari yon, haha). Good thing I was the first called to recite because I only read the first part of the assignment.

Before the class started, the prof took a dose of Advil, saying that “We’ll be having a long discussion tonight so you better take yours too.” During the previous session, he told the class, “The purpose of this exercise (recitation) is not to annihilate you, so don’t just stand there and wait to be massacred.” So I couldn’t help but be scared and nervous to death.

I’ve been standing for about 30 minutes, discussing the requirements as to titles of bills passed in Congress. Just when I was about to run out of answers, the discussion took a different turn:

Prof: Ms. ______, what was the last locally produced movie that you saw?
Ako: A Love Story, Sir (with conviction ito).
Prof: So who was the mistress? (the class broke out laughing)
Ako: I’m not supposed to tell Sir. It’s for you to find out (plus a pa-cute grin).
Prof: Don’t you think its premise is crazy? If you have a wife who looks like Angelica Panganiban, why would you want to have an affair with someone as old as Maricel Soriano?

Ako: … (asus, pinanood din pala niya!)

The case, by the way, was Tio vs Videogram Regulatory Board. Petitioner in this case is a businessman engaged in the video production (?) business. He is questioning the constitutionality of Pres. Decree 1987, or “An Act Creating the VRB” particularly Section 10 thereof which provides for the imposition of taxes on all sales of video materials. Petitioner contends that this provision was not included in the title of the said Act and is therefore violative of Article VI, Section 26 of the 1987 Constitution which states that “Every bill passed by the Congress shall embrace only one subject which shall be expressed in the title.”

Hay, suwerte. I just wish all the profs are as cool as Prof. M.

A Week In The Life (Subtitle: Curacha, Ang Babaeng Walang Pahinga)

2007-08-18T02:16:00.001+08:00

Monday. Manic is the word. “Start your week right,” my conscience tells me as she (?) urges me to wake up. 6 seems too indecent a time for someone who sleeps at 2AM. But it’s the department bosses’ weekly meeting and I can’t afford to be late. All right conscience, panalo ka na. Day at work proceeds smoothly; evening at school might not. It’s Persons and Family Relations Day, and the prof seems to hate me.
Tuesday. The alarm clock rings at 6:30. I let it snooze five times until it’s 7. I scramble to the bathroom and fix (or at least try, hehe) my self. I read the Consti cases in the FX and LRT while fighting drowsiness. My only relief is that the professor doesn’t ask for too much details (unlike in Persons). But when I remember his first meeting sound byte, I shudder. “You spent P20,000.00 to be terrorized, no, I don’t want to use that term. Let’s say, ‘lovingly compelled’ instead.” *waah!*
Wednesday. Weekly meeting of the Network’s big wigs. I prepare whatever needs to be prepared and pray that the meeting last for hours. I need all the time in the world to finish the Persons readings I wasn’t able to finish last night. I don’t want to experience the Monday episode again (too shameful to be repeated here). Wait, bakit kailangang matapat sa meeting days ang Persons?
Thursday. Another Consti day, another wisecrack. “Constitutional Law is a beautiful subject. It makes life difficult for everyone.” It’s actually a fun subject, I swear.
Friday. “Thanks God it’s Friday” does not apply. There’s nothing to be thankful about Criminal Law where the class sits for three hours waiting for their turn to be called and argue before/with a Justice of the Sandiganbayan. Each member of the class is called at least twice every meeting. Buti na lang may soft copy ang cases. I can engage in some “guerilla-type” studying in the office.
Saturday. “The week never ends,” as the ABS-CBN plug goes. Nothing can be closer to truth, I say, as I struggle to wake up for my 9AM class. Legal History has been the most neglected subject, it falling on the last day of the week, when all I want to do is relax and see a movie.
Sunday. The time to do reading seriously (read: not in moving vehicles or in the workplace). I try to read amid all the distractions at home but I always end up in bed. Tragic.

Monthsary

2007-08-16T20:11:00.001+08:00

I was supposed to post this on my first month as a returning student but I was so busy juggling work and school that I didn’t notice the clock ticking. Now, after a catastrophe called midterms, I’m not sure if I can still say what I said in this one, heehee.

Wow. Isang buwan na ako sa law school. Mga isandaang libong buwan na lang… Sa ngayon, matatawag ko pa ang sarili kong isang SURVIVOR.

School supplies. Ngayon ko lang na-appreciate ang kahalagahan ng binder clips, highlighters, index cards at post-its. Ngayon ko lang din nalaman na may calming effect pala ang isang makulay (punong-puno ng highlights) na readings. Feeling mo talagang nag-aral ka.

Unan at kumot. Ang mga bespren ko nung college ay hindi ko na masyadong nakakaulayaw (Bakit parang bastos pakinggan ang salitang ito? O ako lang yun?). Mukha na naman akong panda!

Recitations. Para sa isang nagtapos sa isang “no-talk” na kurso, ang pagre-recite ay isang kakaibang karanasan. Ibang-iba pala pag nakatayo (di tulad nung college), kadalasan naiiwan ang utak sa upuan. Kung minamalas, matatawag ka pa sa kaisa-isang kasong hindi mo nabasa.

Varicose veins. Resulta ito ng pagtayo nang matagal sa klase na resulta ng hindi pagbabasa na resulta naman ng pagpapaunlak sa tawag ng kama.

Impakto/a. Maraming ganito sa Malcolm Hall. Mangilan-ngilang beses na rin akong muntik nang maluha dahil sa kanila.

Vitamins. If you want to be complete, bawal magkasakit. More energy mas happy!

Oras. Ito ang kaaway ng lahat, lalo na ng mga evening students na katulad ko. Mabilis ang patak ng metro, ika nga.

Raket o Resign. Sa taas ng tuition fee, kailangan talagang maghanap-buhay. Pero sa dami naman ng kailangang basahin/intindihin/pag-aralan, tiyak gugustuhin mong magkulong na lang sa kuwarto o library maghapon.

Hay, nakakabaliw pero nakakaaliw ang mag-aral.

Estudyante Blues

2007-06-16T11:17:00.001+08:00

"Pasukan na naman,
bakasyo'y tapos na.
Balik-paaralan
guro at eskuwela..."

Ito na lamang ang naaalala ko sa tulang minemorya namin nung Grade 2. Tungkol yata sa pag-aaral ng leksyon ang mga sumunod na linya kaya hindi na pumasok sa ulo ko.

Nitong nakaraang linggo ay nagbalik-paaralan nga ako, at isang nakakagulat/asar/windang na impormasyon ang tumambad sa akin. Akalain mo, isang libo na ang halaga ng bawat yunit? Labing-apat na libo agad, dagdagan pa ng mga bayaring katawa-tawa (Athletics, Cultural, Internet, Energy, atbp) sa pandinig. Tumataginting na Php 16, 246.50 ang inabot ng matrikula ko. Kulang pa ang mid-year bonus. Kung tutuusin ay wala na dapat akong ikagulat dahil simula pa lamang ng unang taon bilang undergrad ay usap-usapan na ang pagtaas ng tuition. Hay, ewan ko ba. Mas mahirap nga sigurong gastusin ang bunga ng sariling dugo't pawis.

*****

Sa haba ng bakasyong nagdaan, nakalimutan ko na halos kung paano ang mag-aral (bagamat hindi ko naman talaga natutunan ang tamang paraan). Tibay ng loob ang kakailanganin dahil tiyak na hindi magiging madali ang lahat, sabihin pang napapaligiran ako ng mga mabubuting kaibigan, kapamilya/kapuso, at mga bibong blockmates (chos!). =p

My Celebrity Look-alikes (ver 2.0)

2007-06-11T12:47:00.002+08:00

My cool celebrity look-alike collage from MyHeritage.com. Get one for yourself.

My Celebrity Look-alikes

2007-06-11T12:40:00.003+08:00

http://www.myheritage.com

pito-pito

2007-06-03T17:13:00.007+08:00

Wala na naman akong magawa. Kung minsan naman, hindi ako magkaugaga sa sobrang dami. Pero nakakapagod din pala ang maghapong pahinga... Kaya heto, sa halip na kimkimin ang pagkabagot, sinisikap kong maging produktibong mamamayan sa pamamagitan ng pagsusulat sa blog (huh?).

Isa sa mga pampalipas-oras na madalas kong gawin ay ang paglilista. Kahit ano lang. Katulad na lamang ng nasa ibaba:

1) Pitong dahilan kung bakit gusto kong mag-aral ulit:
1. Masarap mag-aral, marami kang makikilala at matututunan. Tarush!
2. Maaari kang lumiban o mahuli sa klase kung kailan mo naisin (basta walang exam). Walang salary deduction!
3. Maaari kang sumalungat sa sinasabi ng iyong guro. Pwede kang magmagaling, basta tama ka. Sa trabaho, kahit alam mo at ng boss mo na tama ka, hindi ka puwedeng mangatwiran.
4. Ang trabaho ay maaaring magdulot ng brain atrophy, tulad ng nararanasan ko sa kasalukuyan. Masasabing ito ay bunga ng maghapong pakikipagtitigan sa computer at pagpapanggap na ako ay may ginagawa.
5. Malaki ang posibilidad na makansela ang klase kapag malakas ang buhos ng ulan.
6. Walang limitasyon sa oras ng lunch break. At higit sa lahat…
7. May baon!

2) Pitong pelikulang dapat mong mapanood bago ka sumakabilang-buhay:
1. Amelie – Jean Pierre Jeunet, France
2. Hable Con Ella – Pedro Almodovar, Spain
3. Y Tu Mama Tambien – Alfonso Cuaron, Mexico
4. Annie Hall – Woody Allen, USA
5. Ran – Akira Kurosawa, Japan
6. Moulin Rouge – Baz Luhrmann , USA
7. Life is Beautiful – Roberto Benigni, Italy
… Idagdag na rin ang Dancer in the Dark, Being John Malkovich, at Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.

3) Pitong bagay na dapat mong gawin kung ikaw ay nalulungkot:
1. kumain ng ice cream/pizza/chocolate…
2. magpakalunod sa alak
3. kumanta!
4. mag-ehersisyo (dahil madadagdagan ang timbang mo kung susundin mo ang #1, hehe)
5. matulog
6. magtrabaho
7. magdasal

4) Pitong bagay na gusto kong gawin bago ako pumanaw:
1. makatapak sa ibang bansa
2. mag-sky diving
3. mag-breastfeed!
4. umibig nang tapat (huwaat?!)
5. maligo sa ulan
6. umakyat ng bundok
7. panoorin ang paglubog ng araw sa Manila Bay kasama si _______.

5) Pitong salitang iisa ang kahulugan:
1. pumanaw
2. yumao
3. sumakabilang-buhay
4. nagpantay ang paa
5. lumisan
6. nasira
7. namatay

6) Pitong nilalang na nais kong makilala:
1. Osama Bin Laden
2. Oprah Winfrey
3. Miriam Defensor-Santiago
4. Leonardo DiCaprio
5. Woody Allen
6. Simon Cowell
7. Tenzhin Gyatso (Dalai Lama)

7) Pitong bagay na ginagawa ko kapag wala akong ginagawa (ano daw?):
1. Nagpapanggap na busy.
2. Nagbabasa ng libro.
3. Nakikipagtelebabad sa ka-opisinang sampung metro lamang ang layo mula sa akin.
4. Nag-iisip ng gagawin.
5. Natutulog nang nakadilat.
6. Nangangarap nang gising.
7. Nagsusulat ng mga walang kwentang bagay na katulad nito.

Image from this site

Demented Dreams

2007-06-03T17:09:00.001+08:00

It was the first day of classes. I was in a classroom with some high school friends I haven’t seen in ages and several JCers (I only remember seeing Virge, Vani, Rhea, Cyril, Paul and Venus).The professor called my name to recite, but I was struck dumb with the unexpected question. Beads of sweat broke in my forehead and as I opened my mouth to answer, he approached closer and transformed into a dark hooded figure. The room darkened and the atmosphere became heavy. Two glints of light pierced the darkness, revealing two redheads holding up their wands. “Expecto Patronum!”

Then I woke up. I couldn’t stop laughing. Being saved by Fred and George Weasley from dementors was surely hilarious. Too bad Harry wasn’t there.

The other day, I dreamt of meeting my colleagues from my first job (who also resigned following my resignation) dining with our former boss. They looked so happy with her, and she seemed fifty pounds lighter. Then we all went to what looked like our office and I took a shower with my clothes on. My officemates never dine with my boss, much less be happy with her. And her losing weight is also out of the question so I knew even before waking up that it was just a dream (haha!).

Ang sama ko. Kaya siguro ako binabangungot.

Y2k7 Bug

2007-05-11T22:03:00.001+08:00

The election bug has once again bitten Pinoys and infected the country with fever. Except for Kris Aquino’s infanticipating (and premature delivery a week ago), every news item bombarding the nation are election-related. I would have rejoiced if it was still 2004 and I’m a Journalism major struggling with OJT. I remember how I’d be thankful every time news of abducted political candidates reaches the AFP press office where I was assigned. “May mapa-publish na naman,” was the prevailing thought. Of course, I’d wish then that the outlawed groups responsible for the abductions would aim higher and kidnap the big wigs instead of preying on local politicos. Violence instigated by warring political clans also fed us vultures (somebody told me once that journalists are like vultures, they feast on the dead) with meaty scoops.

Well, that was then. Now that I’m a part of the hoi polloi, it is quite easy to be desensitized, ironically, by what we sense through the media.

*****

Still about the elections…

With only a couple of days to go before May 14 (indeed, I should be taking the trip to the province where I will be casting my vote but here I am, cramming blog updates here in Alva’s Philcoa just to delay my trip and avoid knocking on our door at an ungodly hour [there goes the bad habit of kilometric parenthetical remarks I am so fond of committing]), I still couldn’t grasp the principle behind some candidates’ rabid desire to win while pulling off stunts that will lessen the likelihood of their doing so. Like:

1) Hiring bad campaign managers;
2) Coming out with inane political ads and terrible campaign slogans;
3) Playing cheesy jingles dispensed by traffic-causing vehicles;
4) Plastering over-Photoshopped posters all over the place;
5) Figuring in one or more (if the candidate is that bad) scandal/s;
6) Overdoing the “my-rival-is-out-to-get-me” game.

All these are actually products of Item Number 1.

I know we all have been victims of these crimes in one way or another so I don’t really need to cite specifics to support my contention but there’s this one slogan I’m dying to share because it is such a good joke: “BATA, MATALINO, PROGRESIBO AT GUWAPO!”, the last word in fonts larger than the rest. It’s as if the city’s fate depended on his physiognomy. I don’t know about the first three adjectives but judging by the portrait he chose to display, he at least wouldn’t be accused of lying. Or maybe he’s just smart enough to choose a picture of himself when he was young, made more handsome by his progressive use of technology.

Burglary Baptism

2007-04-26T20:43:00.001+08:00

I woke up last night with a tap on my shoulder. It was my brother, who usually doesn’t bother me asleep or awake, as long as I keep myself out of his territory. My surprise turned into shock when he murmured “Nakita ko sa labas, nakakalat,” and handed me my wallet, IDs, ATM card, credit card, and all other plastic cards which, in their usual state, are inside the black three-fold Marithe Francois Girbaud (fake) wallet which I got eons ago and never bothered to replace. I thought it was just a dream but my cat who sleeps beside me shared some of her fur and got them into my nostrils, giving me a sneezing fit. People don’t sneeze like that in dreams, with body shaking and giving off nasal by-products into the air (eww!). My brain cells spent several nanoseconds trying to process the information and came up with two possibilities, namely: a) I was so sleepy when I got home that night and never noticed that those items were subjected to gravitational pull, and b) some intruder tried breaking in and left those things in his flight. The second option made more sense upon examining our bedroom window. The screen was ripped off from the upper left-hand corner of the window and my bag was stuck in the uppermost opening of the glass jalousie. Only my umbrella and kikay kit (yes, I do have one) were left inside the bag, my USB and earphones were hanging on the edge of the slashed screen.

So how did he do it? (Now, there’s a case of sexism from someone who declares herself a progressive thinker especially when it comes to gender issues.) I usually leave my bag on the upper bunk of our double-deck bed, where I sleep as well. But that night, as was the case since a couple of nights ago, I didn’t sleep there because of the suffocating heat. Instead, I went to the living room and snoozed on the rubber mat.

The bed was positioned against the wall and formed an L with the window. The robber would have an easy time getting hold of the bag by using a meter-long rod and pulling it out, which he did, leaving behind the branch he has probably used in other pilfering endeavors. To his credit, he left the useless (to him) stuff and took only what he could benefit from. I could imagine his dismay when he opened that wallet, thick only with the “loyalty” cards and receipts, a doctor’s prescription, bus tickets, MRT and LRT cards, a list of things to accomplish before I die, another list of books to buy, and the ticket to last month’s Starstruck the Final Judgment. It’s a trash bin really, never put any money in it. He got the last trace of my recent salary though. That last three hundred and seventy-something pesos I kept in my ID case because I’m too lazy to carry my wallet around, and the coins in my purse (yes, even that) leaving behind a peso in it and three 25 cents scattered on the ground.

That was 3:30 in the morning, and after some CSI-ish inferring and some suggestions on how to catch the frigging son of a b (i.e., collecting the fingerprints of the people within fifty-meter radius and matching the samples with those left on my stuff, and “ipakulam natin,” as Kuya suggested), I went back to sleep, fully aware that I can’t get my property back. What annoyed me was his audacity to disturb our peace in that relatively peaceful neighborhood and the realization that window screens can not protect us from the more rapacious breed of mosquitoes.

I'm still here

2007-04-25T21:19:00.001+08:00

I just want to make kuwento because you know, this blog's contents are like so yesterday and my sisters probably miss me na... Gosh, this is so not me. I don't even know where to put the punctuations. This is just a poor attempt to breath life into this dying blog.

Friday. Chuchay raved that rock band Urbandub will be having a gig that night at Virgin Café. We previously agreed to watch the Earth Day Jam that same night but when she learned about the band’s gig, plans changed. “Alam mo ba, taga-Cebu ang Urbandub. Sobrang bihira lang sila tumugtog dito tapos andami pang tao.” Not being a fan of the said group (and “late na, wala akong pang-taxi,” “may lakad ako bukas, kailangan kong gumising nang maaga,” maglalaba pa ako pagdating ng bahay,” and all the reasons I could think of except the real one which was “ayoko”), I politely refused. Only to be barraged by ad misericordiam-ish statements from Weng (i.e., “Minsan-minsan lang naman e. Di ka na nga sumasama sa amin, tapos ngayon lang kami magyayaya di mo pa mapagbigyan.”). Well, I always knew that I’m not impervious to peer pressure so the next five hours were spent drinking beer and jamming with the performing bands. The latter consisted of countless table-tapping, a lot of clapping, a little singing, some trips to the comfort room, and a few lethargic yawns and eyelid drooping (which, by the way, is not synonymous to sleeping). At 2 A.M., we left the bar and walked a few meters to see the concert for Mother Earth. The show was almost over when we arrived but catching the last band perform wasn’t too bad. I got home at a little past three. =)

Saturday. Despite the late night out, I still managed to wake up at eight in the morning, having promised Virge the day before that I would go with her to Instituto Cervantes for the International Book Day celebration. We were supposed to meet at 11A.M. at McDonald’s near the UN Avenue station. And so her “Dito na ako sa mcdo” text at 10:46 prompted me to reply “ok, c u. LRT na ako,” which was inaccurate as I was then still at Katipunan. LRT din, station 2 nga lang. Of course I arrived late and even had the nerve to call Virge and ask where she was because I couldn’t locate the Golden Arches. She ended up walking a block to get to where I was (sorry…).
Like any event with books and film showings, the event was fun. F. Sionil Jose and Jessica Zafra were there and the former even had a book-signing session. In the heat of noontime sun and amidst all those people, Virge noted that the antediluvian literary great looked like Buddha. I giggled, as the image of him with two babies on his shoulders (who had the likeness of Virge and me), flashed in my mind. Virge, despite being starstruck over JZ, was calm and composed. "Ayun siya sa likod, naka-orange top at red shades! Hay, nakita ko rin siya in person..." was all she said. Never asked for auto/photograph. Sayang.
If I remember it correctly, this was only the second time that we went out since graduating from college. It felt like one of those walks we used to do while working on our thesis. Only this time, we don't have to come up with something after the experience.

Sunday. Went to a friend in Makati to return the trappings I borrowed to transform me into a normal human being. I needed it for this interview that went terrible anyway. Then passed by a bookstore to buy a 900-page book. I promised myself I'd find time to read it, to justify my buying it with the few remaining bucks in my pocket. I remembered my father who went back from abroad last year (after a couple of years, so he didn't have a clue about this book-binging I'm in) and asked "Anong gagawin mo sa mga yan?," looking at my books with is-my-daughter-still-in-the-right-state-of-mind look on his face. I answered, matter-of-factly, "Babasahin." So several newly purchased (but not necessarily new) and unread books in my room make me feel guilty about buying another one. My reading skill is improving, I have read 17 chapters in two days and still got 30 more. I only hope my eyesight is still in top shape by the time I finish the book. As soon as I finish this one, I promise I'll never read in moving vehicles again. Yeah right.

Today. Chuchay announced that Urbandub will be having another gig this weekend. "Akala ko ba 'sobrang bihira'?" was all I could say.

And I found out that I couldn't make a phone-to-PC transfer of pictures. Wala tuloy akong mailagay dito... =(

1,051,200 minutes

2007-04-04T18:25:00.001+08:00

We’re going two tomorrow. I wonder how we lasted that long. I’m selfish, immature, egoistic, and bossy (A deeper introspection may reveal more negative traits, so I’ll stop there). Of course he has bad traits too, but comparing him to me makes him look like an angel.

Our months together were smooth-sailing. Aside from my occasional (?) tantrums, we never had a fight so huge that it threatened to end our relationship. One friend even advised me to “wage war” with him to build up excitement. I didn’t follow her wise counsel though. I thought it was so Dubya-esque. I couldn’t get the point. Shouldn’t I be envied for having a peaceful time? A fight is a fight; you hurt each other’s feelings in the process, so why engage in an emotional ping-pong just to derive some kind of thrill? Surely, there must be other means of getting that (grin).

Seven things I learned from our seven hundred and thirty days together:

You can’t always get what you want.
Women do not have a monopoly over mood swings.
Prepaid credits matter.
Give your partner/relationship a TREAT -- Time, Respect, Effort, and Trust.
Control your impulses.
It’s not wise to over-intellectualize.
When you’re mad, keep your mouth shut.

There is actually a lot more, but this is getting mushy. Not quite the right topic for Lent...

Down in the dumps

2007-02-22T10:03:00.001+08:00

It must have been the weather – hot and humid after a chilly week – that sent the level of my happy hormones down. Or maybe it was the post-Valentine’s Day fight I had with him over a silly subject (i.e., picture-taking with Rivermaya’s front man Rico Blanco). Perhaps it’s the depressing book I’m presently reading, an anthology of short stories about marriage. I don’t know... It’s like waking up from a bad dream of which nothing remains but the feeling of wretchedness.

Gosh, this is so teeny-bopper. Di na bagay sa akin.

Metamorphosis

2007-02-03T18:21:00.001+08:00

She’s changed a lot. I never expected the transformation to be that fast. A couple of years ago, she was carefree and indifferent, subscribing only to what her peers believe in. Now she is assertive, has strong opinions about society and life in general, and is an active member of a militant youth group.

Her becoming a tibak is not unexpected. She enrolled in a course where almost every student is one. At first I thought she just became so because of her friends. I underestimated the depth of her sincerity and involvement, until recently, when I had the chance to spend a couple of hours of conversation with her. We covered a wide range of topics, from the recent approval of the system-wide tuition fee increase, the RGEP (Revitalized General Education Program), the 2007 elections, the continuing struggle of left-wing organizations, and social injustice. Albeit these are quite serious, her talk is peppered with tibak stories which are quite hilarious, I think.

I. Tibak 101
Bunso: Lahat naman sila (previous Philippine presidents) alipin ng mga MP.
Ako: What’s MP? Is that an acronym for something?
B: Imperyalista. Impe (stress on second syllable), pinaganda lang. Kapag pinagsama-sama lahat, IBP. Imperyalista, Burukrata, Pasista.
Ako: Hehe, parang Integrated Bar of the Philippines …

II. And the story of Tofi, the stray cat at their college building which their org baptized:
Orgmate 1: Pangalanan natin ng Tofi.
Orgmate 2: Negative yun e (TOFI stands for Tuition and Other Fee Increases).
Orgmate 1: E di bigyan natin ng apelyido. Tofi Ibagsak!

III. My confession
Ako: Dati gusto ko rin sumali sa ____ (activist org) kaya lang parang may sarili silang subculture. Nakaka-alienate.
Bunso: Oo nga e. Tapos dugyot pa karamihan. Na-award nga kami ng Dean namin e. Mukha daw kaming mabaho…
Ako: No offense ha, pero mukha nga, hehe.

Our parents and siblings don’t know anything about her extra-curricular activities. All they know is that she’s a junior Social Work major in cum laude standing and that her professors are giving her a hard time with all the academic requirements they burden her classes with (ranting is a favorite pastime of hers). My mom constantly reminds her not to join aktibistas; giving disparaging comments when news of protest actions come out on TV, comments which usually make us exchange knowing glances and sometimes cringe.

I don’t know why she entrusted her little secret to me. Perhaps she thinks I am more capable of understanding because I was a UP student too. Sometimes I feel guilty keeping everybody ignorant about it. But what can I do? We share the same belief – that apathy is the worst virus that can attack an individual – only she is more vocal about it.

Farewell

2006-12-29T18:45:00.002+08:00

Dear 2006,

I don't normally do this to your kind when you say goodbye. I prefer the commencement, that's why whenever one of you comes, I create a little ode to welcome you into my life. So far I've met 22, including you.

Do not flatter yourself thinking you are special. There were years past more memorable than you. '90, for example, who introduced me to the world of learning. Of course, there's '84, but I can't remember much from him (or her). '97, who gave me the thrill of my first public speaking endeavor which turned out bad, but memorable nonetheless. '01 ushered me into the wonderful universe of college. I can't imagine my life without him/her (Why is it that your gender isn't made clear? Now I'm having a problem with pronouns). Your predecessor '05 escorted me to the quote-unquote real world. You are just continuing what he/she started. So why am I doing this to you?

Well, to be honest, it was you who made me realize that life is better than what I used to believe. My boss is not really cruel, she's just stressed out. My workplace isn't really a jail without bars, it is as it is for me to be more productive, and other realizations that disprove my earlier postulate of the universe conspiring against me.

You taught me to be contented. My spirit still yearns for more, but that doesn't mean I'm not happy with the way things are going. My family is healthy, my earthling is adorable, my friends are compassionate. And yes, I've met quite a number of new friends this year. The feeling was almost alien to me, and I'm glad that although we are so different from each other, we manage to get along really well.

You may not be the best, but you've been good to me. Thanks a lot.

Wishing you well,
Me

P.S.

Tell 2007 to be good to me too (I'm hoping he/she will be better than you though, hehe!).

earthling et moi

friends...

and more friends

ate and the look of the future

Bunso at panganay

After Life

2006-11-28T22:39:00.002+08:00

I’ve been to the film org I regularly visit to watch the screening of After Life, a Japanese movie about happiness and eternity.

The premise: After people die, they spend three days choosing one memory they will take with them to eternity (just one, all other memories are erased). They describe the most important memory in their lifetime to counselors (also dead) who will then recreate it on film and screen it at the week’s end; eternity follows.

One man finds it so difficult to pick a memory, thinking his life was so ordinary he couldn’t make a choice. The counselor who handles his case lets him view videotapes of his 71 years of existence to help him out. It is distressing to watch the old man watching his life, especially so because he himself knows that he didn’t attain what he set out to accomplish. He was an idealistic youth who frowned upon his friends’ idea of living (i.e. getting a wife, having kids, and working for a company until the age of retirement). He said he didn’t want to leave the earth without “an evidence of life”, but still, he did.

The memories people in the film choose ranges from the absurd to the heartwarming – an old man talks about his sexual intercourse with different women, a teenage girl picks out her Disneyland experience (thankfully, her counselor convinces her that the memory is so run-of-the-mill and at the end of the three-day selection period, she opts to take the memory of her leaning on her mother’s lap). It made me wonder what will I choose come my time to pick, assuming there really is a place like that.

Pinoy ang Tumapos (sabi nga sa plug)

2006-11-28T22:37:00.002+08:00

This is a bit late but I'm posting it nonetheless...

As most people (at least most Filipinos) expected, Manny Pacquiao won the last installment of the Pacquiao-Morales trilogy. The fight, however, lacked the excitement found in their first two matches. I wonder why, when it is supposed to be the most exciting. After all, it wasn’t called the Grand Finale for nothing.

Besides, there were factors that seem to reveal better prospects for Morales. The Mexican fighter got reunited with his dad/trainer, got himself a “new” training technique, and bore a grudge over being knocked out in the previous fight. For these reasons, some boxing aficionados thought he’d be much stronger this time. All these, however, proved insufficient as Pacman let out punches one after another. Morales’ Velocity Training was no match to Pacquiao’s speed. I think the training method’s name applied more to the fast shedding of weight (to which the former was a subject) rather than to agility.

It was a boring fight (even the two undercards). Or maybe I just expected too much. Too bad for those who paid to watch the fight in cinemas, even worse for those who endured the five-minute commercial breaks in between the three three-minute rounds.

If there’s one thing that made this fight better than the previous one, it was that we had a better singer for our national anthem. Cheers to Sarah Geronimo!

No Such Thing

2006-10-22T15:12:00.001+08:00

I saw this quote from Ally McBeal in an online forum:

"You're supposed to be able to send your life to the dry-cleaners and get it back nicely pressed and folded."

Unfortunately though, Life Laundromat hasn’t been invented.

Marriage, Wedding, and the Whole Damn Thing

2006-10-20T15:06:00.001+08:00

One of my closest friends got married last weekend. The affair was simple – no bridal gown, bridesmaid, best man, ring bearer or flower girl, and all the props that come with the thing. It was a civil wedding (Or a wedding presided by a judge or a mayor, as the case may be. “Civil” sounds rather vague, it hints of the existence of an uncivil one, hehe). Only a few sponsors composed the bridal entourage, and a few family members were present.

I was among the few non-members of the couple’s families; indeed, I was invited because I sort of asked to be. It’s a long story, and a complicated one. Some disagreement between my friend and her parents arose, the reason for which is still unclear to me (despite my friend’s attempts to elucidate on the matter). This prompted her to think that she may not have any family member on her side during the ceremony, and so I volunteered to attend.

Theirs is a story with the elements commonly seen in romantic movies. I remember how I played Cupid four years ago. Socio 101 class was a bore (at least the one we attended), and I would always come up with excuses to be absent. I couldn’t understand why she would be enthusiastic to attend class, when she’s not at all a diligent student. Soon she confessed, giggles and all, that she has a crush on a guy in the class a few rooms from ours. In a couple of weeks, she has managed to get the guy’s name, affiliations, his org’s tambayan, and his cellphone number. How she acquired this supernatural sharpness in finding out details is still a mystery to me. Some human beings are more evolved, I must say.

What’s the point of having all that information when they won’t be put to good use, I argued. So in a moment of insanity, she dared me to text him. Such an opportunity to display my talent for mischief was not to be allowed to slip away. And so the rest, as they say, is history.

Despite not having the wedding that they dreamed of, contentment glowed in the newlyweds’ eyes. I still remember how they cuddled their little Plummy (a name of unknown origin, not in the least a derivative of the little creature’s real name), how they held each other’s hand and how they teased each other about their love story. I know they will be happy. After all, it’s not the wedding, but the marriage, that matters.

Lethargic Me

2006-10-03T14:28:00.001+08:00

Hay… I just feel like yawning and stretching my arms all day. If only I can sleep in front of my PC (and my boss)… But we are in the real world so here I am, typing blog materials on my Paleozoic Era-computer and pretending I am indeed doing something productive. Of course, that comes with the requisite minimizing of the “guilty” window/program every time the boss approaches and resuming the whatever-it-is-that-will-not-earn-their-ire work. Hehe, there goes my How To Survive An Office Job tip. (^_^)

Time seems to be ticking too leisurely today. With the restoration of MERALCO’s services going at a snail’s pace and the repair of all things ravaged by Milenyo almost intangible, it’s not too hard to think that Time has gone on vacation.

****

A completely irrelevant matter I just have to get out of my mind:
I have this vision of Miriam Defensor-Santiago in Madonna garb singing “We are living in billboard hell, and I am a billboard girl…” (demonic laugh here).

Korea-pelikula

2006-09-25T20:19:00.001+08:00

“I will not miss this one,” I said to myself as I read the e-mail from an organization of film enthusiasts. It was the schedule of the Korean Film Festival at UPFI. Since graduating from college, I had to give up my regular movie binges; I just don’t have the time. I already missed countless film showings since then, the screening of Spanish films at Instituto Cervantes last August and the Chinese Film Festival at SM Mall of Asia two weeks ago are two of the most recent.

The festival showcased films that feature the “dynamic culture of South Korea ,” so the poster said. The line-up included Il Mare (2000), A Day (2001), Art Museum by the Zoo (1998), I Wish I Had a Wife (2001), Old Boy (2003), and Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter...and Spring (2003). I only got to see two out of these six, a shame compared to my previous movie-going performances. But then again, it’s better than not seeing anything at all.

I really wanted to watch Il Mare (to compare it with its Hollywood adaptation The Lakehouse), but it was screened on a weekday, so seeing it was out of the question. At any rate, the two movies I’ve seen are quite noteworthy.

I Wish I Had a Wife is a romantic comedy by Heung-Sik Park , about a guy who is getting old and is desperately searching for a wife, all the while avoiding the girl who might bring about the end of his quest. The movie celebrates the ordinariness of love, with its ordinary characters in their ordinary world (The guy is a bank employee, and the girl is a teacher. How ordinary can they get?). No picturesque settings, gorgeous characters, and romantic movie lines, yet the magic is quite palpable. Viewers still chuckle and sigh inwardly, but the “kilig” would have been more felt if they chose more dashing protagonists. On second thought, that would be self-defeating.

Jeong-hyang Lee’s Art Museum by the Zoo, also a romantic comedy, tells the story of Chul-soo, a soldier who returns from his base for a break, only to find out that his girlfriend has left their apartment and Choon-hee, a wedding videographer, lives there instead. Chauvinist Chul-soo spends his ten-day break with eccentric Choon-hee, and a riotous battle between the sexes ensues. The title refers to the script the two co-writes as an entry to a scriptwriting contest, which is inspired by, well, an art museum and a zoo (duh?) that lie on the opposite ends of an intersection, with the protagonists’ significant others as the lead characters. It could very well denote the dichotomy between the two characters, or the parallel existence of the two places, or if we could stretch it further, to the dual progression of the film (The story of their script develops alongside the film’s plot, and scenes from the work-in-progress are interspersed throughout the film.).

I’m still in the process of thinking what to write next, and finding that I’ve grown too lazy to add more, I will stop here. Hehe, bitin.

Juvenile No More*

2006-09-18T20:20:00.001+08:00

I am now twenty-two (That is my age, not the versions of me debating within my head, the number of which is probably double, haha.). Three hundred and sixty-five days slipped away without me knowing it. Have I grown older? I couldn’t tell. Every year I ask where the past year went, what became of my plans, what happened with my life. And every year I arrive at the same answer – I don’t know. These rantings have been a birthday ritual actually. Every essay asks, “What’s the point of living? What’s in store for me?” Reality is questioned, love and faith viewed with skepticism. Every essay ends with a resolution that I will face life head-on, rotten as it is. What has life done to disappoint me? I’m not sure, but I’m not happy with mine. But I see my life is quite a breeze compared to others’. I eat three (or more) times a day, I have a job, and I have my family and friends. All right, I’m an asshole. It’s just me and my I-am-the-center-of-the-universe belief (which is so hard to unlearn). As Alexander Pope puts it, “All looks yellow to a jaundiced eye.” Well, at least I am self-aware. That’s a good start, isn’t it?

*Juvenile sounds rather negative, probably because it’s been associated with the word “delinquency” for so long, but it only means “young, youth, or adolescent”. I just couldn’t find a word that starts with the letter J (I’ve been trying to complete the alphabet with my entries’ titles.). At any rate, my sister who’s a Social Work major says “juvenile delinquent” is an obsolete phrase and it has been replaced with “children in conflict with the law”, or CICL,to be more politically correct. Wala lang…

I Not Stupid

2006-09-08T19:26:00.001+08:00

That’s the title of the first Singaporean film I ever saw. I didn’t know it was Singaporean until I saw its sequel being featured on MTV Screen. Our Asian neighbors all look alike so I don’t quite know how to make a distinction.

The film is a story of three grade school boys struggling to do well with their studies despite being in the EM3, the lowest and “hopeless” section. It shows several similarities between their society and ours. First is the unquestioning belief in Western talent, comically exposed in the advertising agency sequence wherein one of the kids’ father, a businessman, hires an advertiser to promote his product. A Singaporean presents his concept but it is bluntly rejected, only to be beaten by an American who presents exactly the same thing. Then there’s the preference for English and Math. These subjects are made the measure of students’ intellectual capacity. Those in the EM3 section are presumably weak in these subjects and are discriminated against. To make matters worse, authorities do not address the issue, believing that the kids are a bunch of hopeless cases anyway so the best way to deal with them is to let them be. An idealistic young teacher finds that the students may not excel in English and Math but they do in other fields of study. Hence the title, I Not Stupid.

The movie seems to be a mockery of Singaporean society. It makes fun of the authoritarian government and of the people’s blind obedience (Through one of the kids’ mom who bullies her kids around, saying that it’s for their own good). Of course we already know about these things but now we see a Singaporean’s confession to the world. It is all very well especially for us citizens of a developing country, seeing that all their riches come with a price -- that of their freedom. But in the last twenty minutes of the film, all those self-mockery builds up as a big joke on us. Every problem is solved, and in the end, the bullying mother is right after all – “Where will your freedom bring you? Be thankful you have a good and responsible mother. Believe me, it’s for your own good.” With the political and economic crisis plaguing our country now, it is quite easy to believe her indeed.

The first three quarters of the film is cute and funny until it gets personal (or racial?), I wonder how I was able to sit through it. The offense takes place in the kidnapping sequence, when the rich and spoiled kid whines “I don’t know how to butter my bread or make my coffee.” The kidnapper then snaps, “I’m a kidnapper, not your Filipino maid!” The scriptwriters could easily delete “Filipino” and still get their point across but they put it anyway. And this film is coming from the country responsible for Flor Contemplacion’s death and guilty of countless OFW abuses besides. I get the urge to scream “Yes you are!” in reply to the movie’s title.

Happiness is a state of mind (?)

2006-08-31T19:22:00.001+08:00

Two quarters of a year in a job I’m not too keen of is quite an accomplishment, especially for a “get-this-day-over-with” type of person like me. I can only wonder how I managed to survive six months of wishing that the present day be over soon and praying that the next one be better than the last.

So, what exactly do I hate about my work? Uhm, it’s hard to point one precise reason, but I do have quite a number of little peeves that form a huge monster when added up.

1. Blah and boring. Unless you think staring at the computer monitor is exciting.
2. I can’t stand questions. With my job, I get to encounter questions right and left, but I hate it most when I’m asked questions I have no answer to. Like “Bakit si Oyo Boy ang love interest ni Sabina? Ang sagwa!”
3. It entails heavy responsibility. One wrong move and everybody is getting on your back and berating you for not being smart enough to handle things.
4. I hate people (“hate” seems too strong a word. All right, dislike). I’ve been a loner all my life and here I am, trying to be nice to a hundred people who destroy my peace everyday. It’s just too much…

To cut the long story short, I’m not happy. Funny how I used to think how big a crap this “happiness” thing is, that it is just a state of mind and if you induce your brain cells to produce pleasure hormones everything will be all right. But now I know better. Sure, you can fake satisfaction in other endeavors (*wink*) and get away with it too, but the heart is far more intelligent than what we were made to believe.

Happiness is a vitamin that nourishes the soul, the absence of which is detrimental to one’s being.
Case in point:
Friend: Mukha kang ngarag.
Me: Talaga? (I couldn’t believe it, since last week was the idlest period of my stay here)
Friend: Oo no. Busy ba?
Me: Medyo (Of course, I lied. I didn’t want to reveal that I have the extraordinary ability of harassing myself).
Friend: Ako rin nga e. (And off she went to enumerate her To-do list. I wonder how she manages to look okay, when her activities sound like a death sentence to me.)

But after all these rants, I will probably just stick to where I am and think that I will still be unhappy anyway if I have nothing to pay my dear landlady with… (sigh)

Good Times Revisited

2006-08-13T20:59:00.002+08:00

Sixteen months. I couldn’t believe it’s been that long. Labing-anim na buwan na palang walang direksyon ang buhay ko. But since this piece is supposed to be happy, I will not dwell on that, hehe.

So after sixteen months of not seeing each other, the members of the K2 block reunited. I call it a mini-reunion, for only five were present. Not that nilangaw kami, quorum na nga yun e. Walo lang kasi kami sa block, nag-transfer ang isa at absentee blockmate ang isa pa, kaya bale anim lang kami (sus, pinahaba pa ang kwento!). It was the first time we’ve seen each other after graduating from college, and if not for the scheduled claiming of the yearbook that day, we wouldn’t have visited our dear old MassComm.

The girls of K2 are as crazy as ever – Kia was her usual jolly madaldal self, Christina was part serious, part chatty, Vanessa was lively despite the lack of sleep, and Virge… well, I didn’t observe her much because we see each other more often than the rest. Oh, her gold shoes, they were glittering!

I daresay they didn’t change much, but I am still putting forth some transformations. One is now driving a company-provided car with fuel allowance to boot, one is currently enrolled in baking class, and the other two are in law school (surprisingly, they're quite OK).

Snaps of conversation which my cerebrum managed to capture:

I. Vani, Virge, Cess (CMC Canteen).
Vani poring over some photocopied readings
Virge: Buti naaalala mo kahit once mo lang nabasa. Ako siguro tatlong beses dapat…
Vani: Kailangan eh.. hay, inaantok na ako...
Cess: Tulog ka muna. 4 pa naman yung class mo di ba?

II. Kia, Virge, Cess (Oz Cafe)
Kia: Di ba, anong pagkakakilala nyo sakin? Mabait naman ako di ba?
Virge & Cess: (micropause) Oo naman! (grin)

III.Kia, Virge, Vani, Chris, Cess (Teriyaki Boy, Libis)
Cess: I-congratulate nyo ko, one week na akong hindi nagkakape!
Chris: Wow, congratulations.
Kia: Kanina kaya…
Cess: Shet, oo nga ano. Kape pala yun, di ko napansin. Malamig kasi e (iced mocha).

We signed our pages on the yearbook with messages we never say to each other in person. Hay, ganon yata talaga pag Journ, puro sulat. I love you K2 ! We parted ways, with a promise to get together again when our schedules permit. And I’d like to add, when Kia has better parking abilities, haha!