canis lupus dendron

I post this With A Smile...

2008-07-10T18:45:00.000+08:00

Sana totoo... O pare ko... Whee!

Tingnan nyo dito:
http://azraelsmerryland.blogspot.com/2008/07/eraserhead-reunion-concert-2008-threads.html

On Dreaming about an Eraserheads Reunion

2008-04-05T11:43:00.000+08:00

I was riding the Divisoria-Recto jeep on my way back to the condo when the radio burst out in song to the tune of the Eraserhead's Magasin.

As I listened to Ely's powerful voice and spot on lyrics, Buddy's thumping bassline, Marcus' smooth riffs and Raimund's booming drumbeats, the image of this one night in the Boys Main Dorm in Philippine Science High School came into my mind. It was one of those normally mundane nights, when the lights were off and all four of us roommates were about to sleep, listening to the radio. Suddenly, this very song floated in the air and like a sound of the classroom bell signifying the end of a really boring class, we all were roused from our half-asleep states, singing the lines, "Iba na ang 'yong ngiti! Iba na ang 'yong tingin! Nagbago nang lahat sa'yo!", shouting the lyrics at the top of our lungs.

Those were the days... Nakaka-miss! Hay...

As I walked out of the jeep and towards the condo, I just realized that right at this very moment, all four members of the group are back in Manila making music: Ely fronting Pupul, Raimund fronting Sandwich (among others), Buddy playing bass for the Dawn, and Marcus fronting Markus Highway (Surfernando?). This very thought instilled in me a great longing for a reunion... the ultimate reunion. The Eraserheads as one group, singing Magasin in front of legions of screaming fans.

After all, they were the ones who jumpstarted the local band scene and whose music fueled the dreams of every would be musician singing in their garages back in the 90's. Looking at the music scene today, their music and spirit lives on, with a tribute album, 2 anthologies of greatest hits, a book of essays about the band and their music, and local radios still giving precious airtime to their most popular songs. I am sure I am not the only one who realized that the red carpet is already unfurling, and the stage is being made ready for this fearsome foursome. But then again, even if we start this movement to get the E-heads playing again, even if we stage a rally in front of each member's homes, the fate of the group and the possibility of a reunion is still up to each of the legendary musicians. I just hope they realize that the ball is in their hands now, and we are all patiently and eagerly waiting for their return to the court.

*image taken from www.schizo-archives.com

Writing

2008-04-02T07:54:00.000+08:00

I have been setting aside blogging for quite sometime now. For the past 2 years, much of my time was devoted to medical school and writing has been pushed to the side by really addicting but effective stress relievers such as comics and the Nintendo DS (and writing can be such a stress inducer especially if you don't have any particular thing to write about). I feel like I am having this love affair with writing, this on and off relationship that has been going on since I first blogged back in 2003. A love affair that I keep coming back to, maybe because I love comics and the medium so much. But then, all the love in the world for the combined visual and written medium of comics can't make up for the fact that I can't draw, so drawing on somebody else's mind with words, phrases and sentences will be the only way for me to tell stories... my stories.

To tell these stories is not something like my favorite childhood toy that I can pick up and play after a long time of disuse. It should be continually practiced, put into good use, and nourished with new words by reading. Yesterday, I was talking to Tricia* about my ultimate dream of having my own comic store and publishing house, and I realized , or rather as she reminded me for the nth time, that I have told her about that dream so many times already, more than I could count with one hand. But then, I know the only way for me to realize that dream is to finish school and get started on saving up and of course, to start writing, practice writing and read. Read lots of stuff, go out of my comfort zone of speculative fiction, try out new genres... Read.

I am going to enter an internship in a publishing house to create content for some local websites and I would be writing a lot in the coming days. A LOT. As in, the interviewer even warned me that, "baka mabulunan pa kayo sa pagsusulat." Sana naman hindi. Working for a publishing house should be a step closer for me in realizing my ultimate dream. A step closer but still a long way to go; it probably take decades to get there. After this summer, things would be put in a backburner as I study and eventually practice medicine but that does not mean I can't read and write. After all, doctors should be avid readers and we can be gifted writers too.

* Tricia is still my girlfriend by the way, for those who I haven't talked to for a long time. And there's a lot of you there... sorry. I will be writing more.

Para Kay Poch

2007-12-18T21:27:00.000+08:00

Julz... PBB... Sikat!

The 28th Manila International Bookfair

2007-08-18T18:24:00.000+08:00

The Manila International Bookfair is one of the annual events that I always try to go to buy more often I could not due to schedule conflicts. This year, by hook or by crook, I must go.

This is taken from the website: http://www.manilabookfair.com/

This Year's Theme

All eyes are focused on reading... when all roads lead to the Philippines’ biggest and most prestigious book event... We take pride in presenting to you The 28th Manila International Book Fair -- the undisputed book exhibition in the country for almost three decades.

The Philippines’ bullish economy as attested by international economic and financial institutions recently is just one of the key measures for the sudden growth of foreign investors in the country. Even existing multinational and Filipino-owned firms confirm the exciting business prospects ahead. This encouraging business climate further entices more local and foreign individuals and companies to test the Philippine market especially through locally-staged international exhibitions, and one of the major exhibitions in the country today that is recognized internationally is The 28th Manila International Book Fair.

With more than three hundred local and foreign exhibitors featuring hundreds and thousands of book titles, the most number in any book exhibition in the country, the event promises once again to bring together both foreign and local players in book publishing and its allied industries who are expected to rake in millions in outright sales and orders from their target markets.

Last year’s staging had more than fifty thousand visitors. Indeed, the figures are viewed to increase every year as more exhibitors, more great deals and buys, and more exciting and educational special events are expected to fill the halls of the country’s premiere exhibition venue located at the heart of Metropolitan Manila-- the World Trade Center Metro Manila.

We call on our partners in the book industry to re-echo what books and other educational materials can do to us individually and collectively for the growth and development of the country. So let us INSPIRE ourselves and each other... ASPIRE to reach greater heights for ourselves and ultimately for the country... by READing... at The 28th Manila International Book Fair!

The bookfair would open from August 29 to September 2. Jesuit Communications would probably have an MPT there (hi Roma!) and comics people will surely have a booth to sell their merchandise. There would be lots of book launches for sure (calling Dean Alfar and Elbert Or!)

Click this link for the schedule of events: http://www.manilabookfair.com/events.html

Punta tayo! Reply lang ang mga sasama. :)

Morning Rants

2007-08-06T02:22:00.000+08:00

Good morning world!

Another day, another week of endless lectures, lab manuals and another patient to interview. Goodness, after months of this, reaching half of the sem, you'd think I'd be used to the routine now.

But no. I'm still having difficulty interacting with patients with only around 8 weeks to go (and 8 patients to interview, I suppose.) I still haven't read most of my books and am not WAY behind most of classmates.

Sigh.

Oh well.

I better start shaping up and getting used to this taxing routine. Or else everybody would leave me behind, and I end up being an incompetent doctor. A wimp.

KOMIKON!

2007-08-01T20:02:00.000+08:00

It's official! There's going to be a Komikon this year despite the circulating rumors of the event not pushing through! The Komikon is an annual comics convention showcasing the Filipino talents in the reviving Philippine comics industry and this year would be its third with the theme: "Myriad Voices, One Medium, One Nation! " Check out the official press release here:

For the past two years KOMIKON cemented relationships among players in and out of the comic book industry. Be it peers, colleagues, readers, creators, publishers and retailers, KOMIKON is THE venue and the EVENT for sharing and renewing ties that bind.

This is where the depth and width of Filipino talent in creating various worlds and stories, from the golden age to the here and now are showcased. KOMIKON also served as the link for the local market to reach out to the global village. Bottom line, this once a year fest promotes the rich medium that is comic book, which can be seen through the myriad of local works drawing from influences not only locally but from our foreign counterparts as well.

Indeed KOMIKON is the celebration of the great art form endearingly called by Pinoys from all walks of life as Komiks. This was the medium that once served as our “national past time” particularly during its golden age from the 70s to the early 80s. It was an industry that gave birth to superstar illustrators and writers. Komiks opened a window for this unique breed of artists to break into the international scene. Their Komiks stories led to adaptations into other media such as film, television and radio making them part of an unforgettable part of our local tradition of excellence in art and literature. KOMIKON is the event that aims to gather its supporters and creators in one place to commemorate komiks as it deserve to be distinguished.

KOMIKON 2007 will be held at the UP Diliman’s Bahay ng Alumni on November 17, 2007, from 10am to 6pm. Again it will showcase the creations of Filipino artists from various genres and themes and give tribute to the creators and their creations. The 3rd Filipino Komiks Convention aims to bring together comic book artists/groups and publishers in a venue where they could present their talents, works and services to the public. Most importantly, it aims to give a break to aspiring comic artists. It would like to offer a venue for new art groups and different generations of artists for a free exchange of ideas. Hopefully it would lead to a transcending of stereotypes and broaden the scope of comics – from local to international to cross-cultural, sequential to strips, amateur to professional and traditional publication to independent comics publishing. This event will raise awareness of the exciting state of contemporary Philippine comics industry.

Contests like the Independent Comicbook, On the Spot Comic Strip Making and the Original Character Making Contest hopes to bring out the next generation of Comic Book creators to the fore front. Our special guests, comic book superstars from the past and present, both coming from the local and international fields will be available for consultations. They will share insights about the industry through their multifaceted experiences. Fun-filled activities will also be provided by our exhibitors through their respective booths and own activities.

Komikon is also the home of the Komikon Awards, a vote-based awards given to those who the readers, creators and other supporters of the medium deemed to be deserving. Taking the cue from the film industry that yearly take time to award meritorious films and give accolades to their worthy creators, the Komikon Committee will open the nominations for the 2nd Komikon Awards in this event for the following year. The Komikon Awards will give the opportunity for readers, creators, publishers and retailers to nominate and vote for the best in the industry, both local and international. The awards aim to encourage solidarity within the industry to produce quality local books and promote wider readership in the market.

This year’s event is organized by The Artists’ Den and Groundbreakers Inc.

Groundbreakers Inc. is owned and run by artists and writers alike. One of their main goals is to provide the best local talents with the opportunity to garner professional experience and success in the industry, not just locally but internationally as well. By doing so, they hope to make the Philippines one of the prime source of talent for the Manga industry in South East Asia and eventually the world. One of their aims is to bring forth these talents to both local and international markets and to showcase to the world the potential of Filipino artists and story tellers through high quality Manga publications.

The Artists’ Den, on the other hand, has a long-term commitment to help art groups grow, to promote goodwill among fellow Comic Creators and support different works and activities among appreciative audiences. The organization had been witness to the ups and downs of the comic industry as members themselves are mixed up in it. The group has actively participated in the past conventions and now would like to have a convention that focuses on comics alone.

For more information and latest event developments visit http://komikon.blogspot.com and join the discussion on http://www.komikon.tk

***

Hay... the Komikon. I was there the last time and it was such an experience having to interact with komiks artists and writers, as well as hang out with friends in the small community of komiks lovers. I just hope that I would be free that weekend, I don't want to miss this for anything!

An Ounce of Geekiness

2007-07-16T02:52:00.000+08:00

Cat's Trail Rewind

Written and beautifully drawn by Memer "iq40" Damaso
To be released in Late 2007

Oh my golly geeky wow!

A teaser for Cat's Trail, one of the 5 regular stories in the now defunct Culture Crash Comics that jumpstarted the hopeful revival of the Philippine Comics Industry a couple of years ago.

Cat's Trail is about the exploits of the cute Airee Colette, the infamous thief of Memeria, a land of fantastical locales and creatures of your wildest imagination. Check out old issues Culture Crash Comics for a dose of giddiness and over the top characters like Sheriff Poppy, Butler the nosebleed mage (and love interest to Airee), Spot the powerful villain who's curse Airee lifted and so much more!

Shucks! I miss the old Culture Crash Comics. Hay... Memories. Sniff*

Transpormers!

2007-07-02T02:59:00.000+08:00

Just a quick one...

Let me emphasize this: I love the Transformers movie! From the story, the characters, the cinematography and all, I can't think of any scene nor any aspect of the movie that I didn't like! The experience was so good, I was so stoked that I couldn't contain my imagination while I was driving Tricia home and I kept thinking...

What if Filipinos made the Transpormers movie?

That very thought tickled my saturated neurons, so then and there, while driving along EDSA, I though about...

How the two factions fighting in the Transpormers movie would be the eLTObots and
the Pistonicons.
How the leader of the eLTObots would be a MMDA truck (blue and pink!) named Ultimus BF, second in command would be a Garbage truck named Lionel, and the soldiers: a Chinese volunteer firetruck named Stephen, and the PNP police escort motorbike named S.P.O.Tot.
How the leader of the Pistoncons would be the Lovebus (blue and pink din!) named Bebe, second in command would be a Sarao jeepney named Sarimanok and the soldiers: an MRT coach named Bullet and a tricycle named Tsikot.
How a third party faction would be manipulating the war and all we know is that the faction's leader is an MGE Taxi named GMAx and he/she has a clone army made up of Pedicabs.
How a karitela with matching horse named Tikbalang serves as a watcher over all for thousands of years, never interfering in Transpormers affairs, until this present war broke out in the Philippines where he had pull some strings in the hopes of averting a world wide catastrophe...

There. I finally got that out of my mind. What a relief.

By the way, back when I was driving in EDSA, I just thought it would be funny to have mundane vehicles common here in the Philippines to transform into cool robots, so all I thought about then was which vehicles will transform. They had no names yet, and the story had no plot.

I have such a hyperactive imagination.

A Week of Firsts

2007-06-30T11:46:00.000+08:00

This past week, a lot of things happened for the first time since school started...

Last Monday morning, I was late for the first time since the start of classes. And it was in Pharmacology, where the Dean was the one lecturing. I promised myself not to be late in my classes this year and I hope I could keep that promise still.

Last Monday night, I was able to peel a pineapple all by myself for the first time in the 24 years of my existence. A small achievement but an achievement nonetheless.

Last Tuesday morning, I had my first encounter with a Psychiatric patient. She was presented in front of the class and was interviewed by the lecturer. She claims she is a Dyosa... And she is scary. I can't imagine myself interviewing a Psychiatric patient, it's such a chilling thought. I just hope that in the coming months, when the rotation for Psychiatry arrives, I'd overcome this little setback and actually conduct the interview without crapping in my pants.

Last Tuesday afternoon, we had our first Integrated Case Study (ICS), in which we discussed the case of a 30y/o female who had an infected wound with abscess formation on the right index finger. It was a good experience, even better because I have new groupmates to interact with, all having their own unique personalities that make them really fun to be with. This is promising to be a good year in terms of working as a team!

Having extra time after ICS, our group trooped over to the Otolaryngology Dept to practice our ENT (ears, nose, throat) skills, and what started as a practice session to brush up on our skills in using the otoscope and other instruments ended as a gross-out procedure of having impacted cerumen taken out from both my ears. It was a memorable experience, partly because my groupmates were there making sick remarks about how fossils and artifacts might be found in the earwax that has been pulled out from my head, and partly because it was such painful experience, I wouldn't want to go through that again. During the procedure, I kept thinking that the suction the doctor was using would pull out my eardrum and even my brains, but it didn't happen. Oh well, at least my ears are clean now, and I think I can hear better (or I just keep telling myself that).Just check out my friend's Multiply for first hand look at how the procedure went. Look in her videos. ;)

The rest of the week came and passed, piling up lots of stresses in my already beat up brain and body. Too much stuff to do, too much words to read, too little time for those and other things like blogging and comics. Right now, I just want to unwind, watch Transformers later and go to choir practice, and maybe, I could get myself motivated pick up a book and do what I am actually supposed to do. Wish me luck .

An Important Quote:
"Ang tenga ay hindi nililinis gamit ang cotton buds at metal spoon." - Dr. Oliver, UERMMC Otolaryngology Department

So how should we clean our ears? That would be another blogpost for some other more convenient and less stressful time, so visit this site again soon!

The Story of the Pineapple Princess

2007-06-25T19:55:00.000+08:00

I woke up this morning and when I went down to the kitchen, I smelled something weird, like a really fragrant fruit gone sour. It turned out that my sister and I completely forgot about the pineapple my parents brought us almost a week ago.

Let me tell you a story.

She was just sitting there by the stove, unaware of the mundane moments passing by within the walls of her lowly home. A little princess who lost everything: her strong, proud King and kind, loving Queen, her lovely, quiet maid who dressed her in frilly, pink gowns every morning before she meets her strict, uptight tutor, and the vast, forgotten kingdom she should have had inherited, had time stood still instead of flowing like the sea, washing away the sands of memory and antiquity. Alas, this poor multi-faceted princess was sitting still for so long; her bottoms had bled from the pressure of the cold, hard, floor pushing upwards on her immature, fragile hip bone. Time had yellowed her once pristine exterior and no doubt, from the foul smell that emanated from her, her flesh seemed to have had rotten from the inside. What fate awaits this poor girl? Will she be erased from memory, thrown away in a prison of neglect? Or will she be saved by a handsome young prince, or knight, or even if God forbid, a doctor who will free her bottoms from the shackles of disuse and necrosis?

***

Tonight, I peeled a pineapple for the first time in my 24 years of existence on this blessed Earth.

But thank God for the internet and people like instructor Robert Bleifer , normal Medicine students like me who grew up having pineapples cut for them, can cut pineapples for themselves on their own! Using a knife!

I had to cut out some of the rotten parts of the pineapple, but I think I saved most of it. It was kind of overripe though. Oh well.

***

My dear Babybutt,

I am so proud of myself for peeling a pineapple for the first time that I had to blog about it. I know you would be proud too… except that you probably would be disappointed because I am blogging instead of reading. I promise I will be studying after the next two words.

Love, Hunniepoo

Six Weird Things About Me

2007-06-24T22:36:00.000+08:00

“Each player of this game starts with 6 weird things about himself or herself. People who get tagged need to write a blog entry of their own as well as state the rule clearly. In the end, you need to tag 6 people as well and list their names. Don’t forget to let them know they’ve been tagged!”

Okay, so I wasn't tagged per se but I think it would be fun to tag others.

One

I don't like pineapples when cooked. I only eat them when I have no choice, like when Mama serves Pininyahang Manok as ulam and there's no other viand. I just realized this last night when Tricia said she'd cook me the said viand one of these weekends. I do love pineapples because back when my Lola was alive, she'd have fresh pineapples in the fridge that is free for us cousins to eat. I guess it just feels weird to eat them cooked; it's just not for my taste.

Two

Sometimes when I get off the shower and I am alone in the house, I walk around naked. You should try it, it's liberating.

Three

I get easily starstruck. I get conscious of what I am doing and I get easily distracted whenever there is a celebrity around, even if its just Bentong or some B-list star. I look at them, I sometimes stare, I take second and third glances, I wait for the opportune moment to come close to them and introduce myself but I never do so. I have never asked for a celebrity's picture, ever. But if ever I meet Heart Evangelista or Angel Locsin... Hmm...

Four

I have this compulsive behavior of checking and double-checking if I locked the doors of my car and our condo. I know this might not be weird enough but try to imagine me, going down the car, locking the door, going around the car to check the doors, walking away and turning back to check the locks again. Weird 'di ba?

Five

I sing anywhere, everywhere. Back when I was in UP Diliman, I would walk from the Math building to the AS building and sometimes when I am walking alone, I sing at the top of my voice and people stare at me with weird but amused smiles on their faces. I still get jitters though when I sing on official singing engagements. It's funny how I am so afraid to sing when I am asked to and yet I can throw away my dignity while walking down a street.

Six

I get nauseous when nervous and my hands tremble when I am onstage or in front of the class. I will try to gag and vomit minutes before going on stage, but nothing comes out. It's just a conditioned reflex, I guess. Last friday, when I was in front of the class during Pharmacology, I was holding out this Manila paper and discussing something and I noticed I couldn't stop my hands from trembling. I quickly finished my discussion before anyone noticed! I hope I can control that trembling though, it bothers and distracts me a lot.

And now that I am done, I tag Tricia, Kitchie, Marvin, Rey, Vanessa and Fr. Jboy! Write down your weirdness now!

EDIT: The obsessive compulsive in me just went through the whole blogpost, corrected some grammar, added some pics and smiled because of your comments. I now tag everyone who reads this!

Pangarap Kong Bidyogeym

2007-06-20T22:08:00.000+08:00

Minsan nangarap din akong maging isang video game developer. Naisip ko, pagkatapos ko ng college, pagpunta ko ng USA, mag-aaral ako sa isa sa mga paaralan doon na ang specialty ay ang paggawa ng videogames.

Pero mabuti na rin at hindi ko ito sineryoso. Ngayon ay masaya naman akong nag-aaral na maging bihasang duktor. Sa sobrang hiyang ko sa pag-aaral, tuloy tumataba ako.

Oh well.

Napulot ko ang sumusunod sa Nautilus comics group. Sa mga nangangarap na maging videogame developer, pagkakataon mo na.

Matahari Studios (Philippines)

For over four decades LAI Games has been a leading player in the entertainment industry. Our company manufactures and sells a variety of arcade-based games, and we also operate the highly successful Timezone Family Entertainment Centers. Matahari Studios 3D art production team has also successfully worked with many Triple A game publishers for both PC and other game platforms on their major titles. With more than 500 locations throughout the region, we are poised for significant growth.

Matahari Studios is the software development group for Timezone arcades, and we must expand aggressively to meet our customer’s demand. We have build a studio in Manila, and we invite those with a talent and passion for game development to join our ranks.

Computer Artist (3D/Animation)
____________ _________ _________ _________ _

Responsibilities:

• Demonstrate skill with creation of assets via 3DMax, Maya, ZBrush or other similar package; includes character, object, and environmental art;
models as well as animation
• Demonstrate proper and appropriate techniques for normal mapped assets
• Create documentation required relating to artistic and technical issues as
• Provide a task list and schedule for planned and completed work; assist lead/managing artists with the team’s work plans and schedules as
requested
• Assist in the sharing of ideas and exploration of new art practices to continually improve the quality of game development within the company
• Maintain a professional attitude during all stages of development; excel as a team member and strive to maximize personal, team, and company performance

Requirements:

• Candidate must possess at least Bachelor's/College Degree in Art & Design, Advertising/ Media or equivalent
• Required skill(s): 3D Studio Max, Photoshop
• Preferred skill(s): Maya, Zbrush, MS Office
• Required language(s): English
• Applicants must be willing to work in Ortigas Center
• Applicants should be Filipino citizens or hold relevant residence status
• 2+ yrs of consistent work experience specializing in Arts/Creative/ Graphics Design or equivalent
• Must play games regularly, understand how they work, and enjoy making games for a living!

While we seek all levels of talent, to be considered for the more senior positions you must bring with you previous experience in the development of interactive entertainment, software development, or related discipline.
We highly encourage you to write us a cover letter that explains to us:

• Your perception of the responsibilities and duties of the position for which you are applying
• Your perception of the skills and qualifications that would make a good candidate; what would you need to know to do well
• What is your interest in a game development company; what games do you play
• If you do not possess any past game development experience, how have your previous positions prepared you to take on such a new role; what is it about your background that matches these requirements

email your resume at: michael.rivero@ mataharistudios. com

website: www.mataharistudios.com

Disclaimer: I am not personally connected with the studios as I just picked up the ad in a newsgroup. However, I visited the website and it seems that they are legit, and they have connections with Timezone (yes, the arcades!). Check them out!

A comic book about Dr. Jose Rizal

2007-06-17T11:03:00.000+08:00

I read a Wiki about Jose Rizal yesterday and I was again, like all those times before whenever I read articles and writings about him, awed and intrigued by this Filipino who fueled the revolution that freed us from colonial Spain.

Incidentally, some months ago, I read on artist Gerry Alanguilan's blog that he was planning to release a comic book about Rizal and yesterday, concrete news about the comic book finally came from the man himself.

The comic puts Rizal on a fictional plane and yet retains the qualities that makes Rizal a hero. Gerry writes:

"Rizal is one of my greatest heroes, and I will certainly be treating him with the utmost respect. But I will respect him enough to be honest about who he really was, and not treat him as some infallible saint that a lot of textbooks have historically painted him to be. I will try to make this Rizal as close to who he really was, and it is basically, ordinarily, human. And by rising above his flaws and shortcomings, in ways that many of us can only imagine, he becomes even more heroic." Click here for the rest of the blogpost

I have high expectations for this comic, since it's coming from the man who wrote and drew Wasted ( which made a profound impact in my life), Humanis Rex! (which has just finished its run on FUDGE Mag) and is currently writing and drawing the life of intelligent chickens living in the mundane world in Elmer. But then, my budget has been too tight these days, (I'm collecting American comics again!), and reading Medical books do take a LOT of time, so I'll just probably just wait for the collected edition.

Gah! What an agonizing wait that would be.

"The Marvelous Adventures Adventures of the Amazing Dr. Rizal" will be serialized in FUDGE Magazine's upcoming August issue.

In frame: Gerry Alanguilan's portrait of Dr. Rizal which serves as promotional art for the comic book.

Rants & Raves 01

2007-06-17T10:45:00.000+08:00

Rants:

I've been on SmartBRO for a week now and I must say I have mixed feelings about it due to the intermittent signal my unit has been getting.
Why is it so hard in second year Medicine?
I feel bad that I passed on the opportunity to take the blood pressure of that woman beside our patient's bed who was already crying her heart out for her dying son... I guess I got scared that I'd mess it up or something.
I'm hungry but I don't want to cook right now. Hmm...

Raves:

God bless 24/7 internet though, I've been hoarding a lot of files lately.
We've just finished interviewing Male Bed No.3. It was a fun learning experience talking to him, eventhough his story has a lot of holes in it. I can't wait for my turn to conduct the Neurologic Exam on my own two weeks from now.
I love Lengua de Gato.

Chelsea

2006-10-18T09:30:00.000+08:00

Isn't our dog the cutest?!?

Meet our newest family member, Chelsea. She's a two-month old chowchow my mom got from a colleague. She's been with us since Sunday but I just met her last Monday.

I think she was stressed from our first meeting because she kept barking at me, keeping her distance. I spent the whole Tuesday playing PS2 and keeping my eye on her but she still was a bit wary and yet curious of this hairy guy. Today though, when I woke up, I went to see her in my sister's room and, lo and behold, she was quite happy to see me! She's so sweet that just this morning, I spent almost 15 minutes just sitting there in our garage with Chelsea on my lap.

It's so cool having a puppy, even with the pee's and poo's. :D

More pictures in my Canis Lupus Dendron Deux!

Curse M&M

2006-09-30T18:25:00.000+08:00

That's what I call them now, M&M, Milenyo and Meralco.

Curse Milenyo for wrecking havoc on the whole of Manila and on our chico tree which pierced the garage roof in Lucena City.

Curse Meralco for not acting sooner, leaving me, my sister, Ate Henny, and my 90+ year old Lola Turing in the dark for 3 days now (and I just learned that we would get back our electricity on Monday!) and for killing my fish who spent his/her last few days swimming in his/her own shit without oxygen.

Yes I'm bitter.

I'm so going to fail my anatomy practical exams.

woofster

Dengue Scare; Dance n'APO; Stand By Me Still; Padadalaga ni Maximo Oliveros; Saving Sally; 2 Weeks

2006-09-24T00:27:00.000+08:00

Thank God it wasn't dengue... Well it was something else, something that is still a mystery, but my sister is ok, she's back to her own world of peers, boys and fashion, and she now has this hearty apetite due to the vitamins she has been taking.

Pero siguro kaya lang siya kumakain ng malakas eh dahil ang lakas ko ring kumain. :) Hehe.

***

Last thursday night, as I was walking towards my car, I would have looked really silly, smiling like I had a really naughty moment with my girlfriend, because I finally participated in something that made me feel like I finally belong to the UERM medicine class of 2010B.

Thursday was the night of the Lakandula and Lakambini event in which Arbs and Joana, an unlikely pair from our class of 75 would be doctors, joined and won against the pair from the other section.

Arbs was a one-man team, a riot to watch, brandishing his overly-confident self and flaunting his scantily clad body in a bahag. Joana was a goddess that night, clad in a brown dress, looking so much like a diwata, and keeping her poise while Arbs does his show. Kudos to my classmates who were hands-down, deserving winnners of the titles of Lakambini and Lakandula!

Following the Lakambini and Lakandula event was the annual Dance n'APO. I didn't have any idea on how big the event was but it seemed that the whole of UERM showed up that night to watch groups representing their respective colleges duke it out on the dancefloor.

The contest was a blast to watch. It seemed that most of the older batches has been preparing for the event for months, as I saw really intense performances, wild outfits, professional choreography and really pretty girls doing really sexy moves. Hehe. And these people are going to be health professionals in the future! How cool is that!?!

Our class fielded nine girls, calling themselves All Glam'd Up, and for a group who had no idea on the kind of competition they were entering, they were good enough to have me screaming my lungs out, rooting for them. One of my friends, Jack, also danced that night, and allow me to say this: "Poch, you have one hot girlfriend here!" I'm so proud of you Jack! Congratulations to my classmates for doing a great job! Can't wait for next year!

***

Friday night, I find myself with Canto Cinco, because one of our members, Willan, sang with the scholastics on the album launch of Himig Heswita's Stand By Me Still.

It was a night of celebration of God's healing music. I remember Tricia asking on our way home, why is it that coincidentally, most Jesuits turn out to be really good singers. I guess that is just the mystery of God's workings.

Incidentally, most of the songs in the album were the ones our group sing regularly, and well, this yearning for JMM to give us a chance to work on an album was again rekindled in me. But alas, even though our group has been gradually receiving good raps from the people inside JMM, I still have this nagging feeling that most of them do not think we can do an album just yet. And I would have to agree with them; as a group we still have ways to go and chinks to iron out, and bear in mind that I am talking about C5 just as a singing group, and not as a music ministry.

***

I just watched Ang Pagdadalaga ni Maximo Oliveros tonight with Tricia and all I can say is that even though it did depict the way of life in the Filipino slums very accurately, and it presented themes of family and homosexuality in a freshly, different way, I think there is still something missing in this movie for it to get into the Oscar foreign film nominees.

And I can't pinpoint out what that is. But if this movie does get the cut, then to hell with what I just wrote. Go Maxi!

***

I am currently raving about this indie film called Saving Sally by director Avid Liongoren. It is a love story about a girl and his jock boyfriend, and a comics guy who love the girl, and little robots, tiny cars and rollercoaster. But what I love about this film is that it looks so good, as the film employs real actors shot on bluescreen blended with lovely illustrated backgrounds and crude but effective 2d and 3d animation.

If you want an idea on how this would eventually look like in the theaters, watch the music video Martyr Nyebera by Kamikazee, and you would have an idea on how the film would look like. Or go to the website and see the trailer.

http://www.savingsally.com

This'll be one film that I pray would go to completion. I would be watching this for sure. Support the film and watch for it next year!

***

Three weeks from now the semester ends, but before that, there will be this last hurdle that I have to jump over which is the exams for the Musculo-skeletal module.

I am now way behind my classmates who's been reading their asses off for the past two weeks while I contemplate on the prospects of becoming a surgeon. I only have two weeks left to study for the exams... I hope watching Grey's Anatomy was worth it. I better stop procrastinating now, sayang ang pang-tuition.

woofster

Dengue; Sweet Illusion; Stand By Me Still

2006-09-12T19:17:00.002+08:00

Please pray for my sister. Last weekend, she's been having fevers and headaches. Papa went with her to the hospital to have her blood tested to confirm if its dengue, however, the blood test seems to be ok.

A few minutes ago, she showed me she's having rashes on her legs and abdomen, another telling sign of dengue. But she seems fine so I don't know, maybe she has measles or something.

Kung may sakit man talaga siya, sana hindi dengue...

***

I have a new phone! And I'm digging the panoramic shoot mode. :)

Do you see the fourth girl sitting from the left? Do you see the girl behind the laptop? It's the same girl. :)

***

Just want to plug this for our friends at the Jesuit Music Ministry!

Watch kayo!

It's for FREE. :)

Neurology; On Buying A New Phone

2006-08-13T01:20:00.000+08:00

Currently, I'm battling myself right now because I am overwhelmed with our Neurology module and I am procrastinating as a reaction to the speed and amount of knowledge being presented during our lectures. Which is quite stupid.

But one thing for sure is that I am really interested in the subject and am considering it as one of potential specialties to take after med school... Naks!

Sana lang mag-aral na ako ano?

I finally gave in to the urge to ask my mom for money to buy a new phone. She has been egging me for two weeks now to buy a new one ever since my trusty Nokia 3660 crashed on me. Since that day, I have been using my mom's old Nokia 3310, which I actually found more reliable than the 3660. And two days ago, while I was trying to transfer files from the 3660 to my computer (which didn't turn out quite well since the memory card of my 3660 was busted beyond belief), I realized I should be getting a new one instead of trying to fix this shit.

So tomorrow (or later, rather), I'm switching brands! Bye bye Nokia, hello Sony Ericsson!

Blogging In A Bus; 50 First Dates Explained; How Rose Survived The Titanic

2006-08-10T14:52:00.000+08:00

I'm now blogging inside the UERM promotional bus using free internet access provided by Smart BRO... Apparently they use this bus to promote UERM as a school for board exam topnotchers and they tour highschools and colleges to entice the students to enroll in UERM.

Cool! I want a bus like this. :)

I learned something interesting in Neuroanatomy today.

The part of the brain that is responsible for converting recent memory into long term memory is the hippocampus. A lesion in this area would impair the person's ability to remember recent events, but all his/her childhood memories are intact. This was the cause of the condition that Drew Barrymore's character suffered in the movie 50 First Dates.

Aliw di ba?

The other day, we were studying the general senses in Physiology and the doctor explained how Rose survived the Titanic tradegy when everybody else died. She gave us three reasons:

- That the wooden plank she was on decreased the amount of heat she would have lost due to conduction/convection
- That Rose was fat and an excess in subcutaneous fat decreases the amount of heat loss.
- That Rose might be in heat or ovulating because of the famed car scene that preceded the tragedy. :)

The doctor also said that the body compensates for cold weather by building up the fat. So during christmas season, FAT is IN. Hehe.

One of my pathetic attempts to justify my weight. Gah!

Procrastination; Philippine Idol Ep. 2

2006-08-09T01:51:00.000+08:00

I've been procastinating lately. I'm already behind my Neuroanatomy lectures and the next set of exams are coming up in the next 3 weeks. I don't know why I'm like this; I certainly am still enjoying my first 3 months of medicine school and I should've adjusted by now...

Something big is coming. And its not the exams.

Got to keep my focus.

By the way, I was a little bit dissatisfied by the Visayas auditions episode of Philippine Idol last Sunday mainly because they promised really good singers (magagaling daw sa musika ang mga Bisaya!) and all I saw was a couple of good-looking guys that are not so good in singing (and they were from Manila!) and a handful of sexy girls but who just weren't as good as the guys in singing. This is really weird. But I enjoyed the show nonetheless, there was a good number of interesting personalities (like the doctor, the transvestite named Yobab, and the guy from Manila who my sister was gushing about) and of course, it was filled to the brim with really outrageously hilarious auditions, from the breakdancer who sang so bad and the wannabe crooner who kept swaying and was asked to stand still by Mr. C.

Looking forward to the next Philippine Idol. :)

Blue; Pinoy Idol; Singing in a Chorus

2006-07-31T00:16:00.000+08:00

A new life, a new look.
I was getting bored with the old one. Besides, the color reminds me too much of a certain girl with pigtails -- you know who you are.
At least this color is my color; that was the result of the True Colors test we had on Patient-Doctor I last month.The test says that we Blue colored people are the caring spirits, and we will be good service-oriented professionals, just like my parents. I do hope I would be like them someday.

I just watched Philippine Idol on ABC 5 and it was such a blast! The show was a bit too long, but then it did cover the Luzon auditions and it also introduced the judges so I guess the extended run was justified. Congratulations to ABC-5 for a well-produced, highly-entertaining show!

A couple of comments: I think the producers are portraying Mr. C as the "monster" judge, just like Simon in AI, but less mean and more strict. And they showed too much of FrancisM's past works and accomplishments; I guess they are making a point to his critics that he is a worthy judge (which I think he is!). The judges performed, or rather, did their job well and they seem to have good chemistry, although I think Mamita and Francism should step up more, because a lot of times, when Mr. C gives the word, the two of them just follows suit. But then, that is Mr. C. His word is gold.

Two Idol hopefuls caught my eye: one is Ira; a really pretty girl who looks, smiles, speaks, and sings a bit like Leah Salonga. The other one is the guy who taught the judges and Ryan Agoncillo the Hawaiian dance thingie which was quite fun to watch. I was hoping they would show the reported prank by Judy Ann Santos but then alas, maybe next week.

Hay... Back to school again.
This weekend, I felt like I went on a two month vacation.
I had no worries, I slept like a baby, and I felt like an angel in a chorus...
I am just thankful that I became a part of the grand chorale that sang in the Ignatian Mass a few hours ago. To sing again with a big choir, amidst my friends and amidst seasoned singers was like being reunited with a long lost love; I wish I could give more time to singing like two years ago but I have to become a good doctor.
Now where's my Biochemistry book?!?

Deo Militare. Deo Militare. Christi lucem illaturi; alios comitare

Ignacio, Javier, Fabro.

Companions of Christ, friends in the Lord. Pray for us. Guide us still.

- FIRST COMPANIONS
Manoling Francisco, SJ

Rainy Days; Research Proposals

2006-07-25T01:44:00.000+08:00

It's been raining hard for the past two days.

Classes have been suspended and my exams have been moved to later this week.

Prolong the agony. Why?!?

I just want these exams to be over.

My girlfriend has been checking research proposals of 3rd year science high school students and she texted me some curious-sounding ones:

"Pranic healing on lymphocytes with the use of micronucleus assay"

Upon looking it up on the net, it seems that the researcher wants to detect DNA/chromosomal changes in lymphocytes via micronucleus assay when a patient is administered with "pranic healing" (or healing using bioelectromagnetic fields more popularly known as "auras"). A really ambitious, scientific sounding proposal designed to impress the teacher...but then, I don't believe "pranic healing" will specifically cause DNA changes in lymphocytes when the actual mechanism of how the healing works is still unsettled among its proponents, and micronucleus assays involves actually working with micronuclei of cells; I don't think the technology is available in the Philippines and if it is, it would probably cost too much.

"Alternative meat tenderizer"

According to the researcher, the significance of the proposal is that "old people with no teeth will no longer shout that they can't eat meat. Now, they can chew meat with their gums by the help of the papaya extracts..."

PANALO!

88

2006-07-20T21:08:00.000+08:00

SUPPOSEDLY if you've seen over 80 movies, you have no life. Mark the ones you've seen. There are 168 movie titles on this list. Put your score in header and repost.

( ) Rocky Horror Picture Show
( ) Grease
(x) Pirates of the Caribbean
( ) Boondock Saints
( ) Fight Club
(x) Starsky and Hutch
(x) Neverending Story
( ) Blazing Saddles
( ) Airplane
( ) My First Mister
( ) The Virgin Suicides

Total: 3/11

( ) The Princess Bride
( ) AnchorMan: The Legend of Ron Burgandy
( ) Napoleon Dynamite
( ) Labyrinth
( ) Saw
( ) Saw II
(x) White Noise
( ) White Oleander
(x) Anger Management
(x) 50 First Dates
(x) The Princess Diaries
( ) The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement

Total: 3/12

(x) Scream
(x) Scream 2
(x) Scream 3
(x) Scary Movie
( ) Scary Movie 2
( ) Scary Movie 3
( ) Scary Movie 4
(x) American Pie
(x) American Pie 2
(x) American Wedding
( ) American Pie Band Camp

Total: 7/11

(x) Harry Potter
(x) Harry Potter 2
(x) Harry Potter 3
(x) Harry Potter 4
(x) Resident Evil I
(x) Resident Evil 2
(x) The Wedding Singer
( ) Little Black Book
(x) The Village
(x) Lilo & Stitch

Total: 9/10

(x) Finding Nemo
(x) Finding Neverland
(x) Signs
(x) The Grinch
(x) Texas Chainsaw Massacre
(x) White Chicks
( ) Butterfly Effect
(x) 13 Going on 30
( ) I, Robot
(x) Robots

Total: 8/10

( ) Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story
(x) Universal Soldier
(x) Lemony Snicket: A Series Of Unfortunate Events
( ) Along Came Polly
(x) Deep Impact
( ) KingPin
(x) Never Been Kissed
(x) Meet The Parents
( ) Meet the Fockers
( ) Eight Crazy Nights
( ) Joe Dirt
(x) King Kong

Total: 6/12

(x) A Cinderella Story
(x) The Terminal
(x) The Lizzie McGuire Movie
( ) Passport to Paris
(x) Dumb & Dumber
( ) Dumber & Dumberer
(x) Final Destination
( ) Final Destination 2
( ) Final Destination 3
( ) Halloween
(x) The Ring
( ) The Ring 2
( ) Surviving X-MAS
(x) Flubber

Total: 7/14

( ) Harold & Kumar Go To White Castle
( ) Practical Magic
(x) Chicago
( ) Ghost Ship
(x) From Hell
(x) Hellboy
( ) Secret Window
(x) I Am Sam
( ) The Whole Nine Yards

Total: 4/9

(x) The Day After Tomorrow
( ) Child's Play
( ) Seed of Chucky
( ) Bride of Chucky
(x) Ten Things I Hate About You
(x) Just Married
( ) Gothika
( ) Nightmare on Elm Street
( ) Sixteen Candles
( ) Remember the Titans
( ) Coach Carter
( ) The Grudge
(x) the Mask
( ) Son Of The Mask

Total: 4/14

(x) Bad Boys 2
( ) Joy Ride
( ) Se7en
(x) Ocean's Eleven
(x) Ocean's Twelve
( ) Identity
( ) Lone Star
(x) Bedazzled
( ) Predator I
( ) Predator II
( ) The Fog
(x) Ice Age
(x) Ice Age 2: The Meltdown

Total: 6/13

(x) Independence Day
( ) Cujo
( ) A Bronx Tale
( ) Darkness Falls
(x) ET
( ) Children of the Corn
( ) My Boss' Daughter
(x) Maid in Manhattan
( ) Frailty
(x) War of the Worlds
(x) Rush Hour
(x) Rush Hour 2

Total: 6/12

( ) Best Bet
(x) How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days
(x) She's All That
( ) Calendar Girls
( ) Sideways
(x) Mars Attacks
(x) Event Horizon
(x) Ever After
(x) Forrest Gump
( ) Big Trouble in Little China
(x) The Terminator
(x) Terminator 2

Total: 8/12

(x) X-Men
(x) X2
(x) Spider-Man
(x) Spider-Man 2
(x) Sky High(x) Jeepers Creepers
( ) Jeepers Creepers 2
(x) Catch Me If You Can
(x) The Others
( ) Freaky Friday
(x) Reign of Fire
(x) Cruel Intentions
(x) Cruel Intentions 2
( ) Cruel Intentions 3
(x) The Hot Chick
(x) Shrek
(x) Shrek 2

Total: 13/17

( ) Swimfan
( ) Miracle
( ) Old School
( ) The Notebook
( ) K-Pax
(x) Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
(x) Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers
(x) Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
(x) A Walk to Remember
( ) Boogeyman
( ) The 40-year-old-virgin

Total: 4/11

GRAND TOTAL: 88/168

from reg ting

Santiago City, Isabela

2006-05-16T00:38:00.000+08:00

April 29, 2006

6:58PM
Santiago City, Isabela
DAY ONE

And after a grueling 8 hour road trip from Manila that started around 11pm yesterday, 3 hours later than the scheduled expected time of departure, I find myself in Carig Plaza Hotel in Santiago City, Isabela, the host province for the 5th Mid-year Convention of the Philippine Association of Medical Specialists which Papa belongs to.

Our car was quite dirty by the time we got here; we were following this insanely speedy (but more like reckless) bus driver and unlike Manila, Cebu and Lucena City where the sun is relentlessly scorching, Bulacan, Nueva Ecija and Nueva Viscaya, which we passed through on our way to Isabela, were blessed with much rain; hence, we travelers were cursed with muddy roads that made our efforts to make our car spiffy clean all for naught.

The first thing Papa, Mama, Baneng and I did when we got here was of course, to eat breakfast, and in all fairness to the hotel staff, the food was enough to satisfy our starving tummies and ravenous appetites. With regards to the accommodations, our room was no Presidential suite but all the basic needs like air-conditioning, extra mattresses, beddings and the all important TV are here and considering we are in a town where tricycles are the preferred mode of public transportation, situated in a province where most of the land are used for agriculture than tourism; then this place is as good as it gets.

While Papa listened to the morning talk about GERD (gastro-something reflux disease), the rest of the family spent the morning here in the room getting much needed shut-eye. By 12, we had lunch and then later, we fixed the plans for our Banaue and Sagada trip on Monday, May 1.

On a side note, May 1 is Labor Day and I just want to vent out my frustration because the nearest Starbucks was 7 hours away and for the second time (the first time was last Easter Sunday), I won’t be able to use the Treat-your-friend-to-a-Starbucks-drink coupon I got from my Starbucks planner. Garr…

We were supposed to go on a city tour after lunch at 1pm but as expected, my sister and I got bored to death waiting for the tour that started 2 hours later. Incidentally, by the time my sister and I were dying from boredom and heat, Hunnie and the C5 gang finally found a beach to spend the rest of the 1st day of the annual Canto Cinco outing… And how I so wish I was there.

Iinggitin ko na lang sila siguro ng mga litrato ng sarili ko na napapalibutan ng libu-libong kilometro ng Hagdan-hagdang Palayan pagbalik ko ng Maynila. Mwahaha! Pero iingitin din nila ako ng mga litrato nila… Tsk.

The city tour was not quite the city tour I expected. We spent more that 30 minutes on the road to get to our first stop, Magat Dam, and although the scenery was quite breathtaking, we only spent less than 10 minutes there and a lot of our time was wasted driving on rough roads. Also, the rest of the stops were dropped out of the itinerary since we had to attend an anticipated mass in the Shrine of our Lady of Lasalette an hour later.

The Shrine is definitely a place I would like to visit again someday (along with Kamay ni Hesus Shrine in Lucban, the Loboc Church in Loboc, Bohol and the Museum of the Basilica of Sto. Niño in Cebu City). Large tableaus, which I think were made up of wood, stone and plaster, depicting Jesus and the Stations of the Cross surrounded the quaint chapel situated on a hill and fronted by a tall, magnificent statue of the Lady.

After mass, we headed back to the hotel and the medrep who drove us to and from the Shrine gave us some useful tips on where to taste the best culinary offerings of Santiago City. Maybe tomorrow, Nengerz and I can go food-place hopping while the parents bore themselves to death with the lectures.

For now, we can just chill here in the room and wait for the parents to wake up for dinner… NAGUGUTOM NA AKO!

Hay… I do hope I can bring home some kakanin and pasalubong for my Lola, cousins, Hunnie and C5.

And on another sidenote, the cable here has Pinoy Big Brother 24/7 channel! All day, pure reality TV entertainment without commercial breaks! Yahoo! Crush ko si Kim! Kim ang cute mo!

I MISS MY HUNNIE! (O di ba, sabay bawi!)

7:51 PM

^___^

April 30, 2006

11:43PM
Santiago City, Isabela
DAY TWO

PBB

Watching Pinoy Big Brother on the 24/7 PBB channel

Enjoying immensely

Realized when taking shower that I am a sucker for teeny bopper romance chuvaness

Laugh-out-loud enjoying PBB teens Bam and Niña flirting and bickering with each other

Crush ko na talaga si Kim. Mabuhay ang mga astiging Chinese!

Yuck

Tears from heaven

Earlier today, I went teary eyed during the final song number of the movie “The Fighting Temptations”

Naalala ko tuloy ‘yung homily last Sunday sa UP Parish. Sabi ni Father what’s-his-name, na sa Misa, madadama mo ‘yung presence ni God kahit sa isang phrase lang na sinabi nung pari, o kaya isang awit na kinanta ng sobrang ganda… Eto siguro ‘yun

Weird

Mom and Me

“Nami-miss ko ‘yung pagkabata ng mga bata. Parang ang bilis kasi ng phase na yun tapos grown-up na agad”

“Pagkabata? Alin? Bakit naman?”

“Parang sila (turo sa mga bata sa kabilang mesa). Kasi ‘yung panahong bata kayo binuno naming sa pagtratrabaho, puro sa katulong kayo. Namimiss ko tuloy ‘yung mga labas na gaya nito”

“…”

11:58PM

PS2; MedSchool Blues; Chinese Gods

2006-05-16T00:36:00.000+08:00

April 28, 2005

7:26 PM

These days, I find myself falling back again to what my routine was right after graduation: wake up late, play PS2, miss lunch, play PS2, eat late lunch, play PS2, take a bath, eat dinner, play PS2, internet, midnight snack, sleep…

Ang baboy.

As expected from last night’s PS2 marathon, I woke up late today at noon and found my sister eating sandwich in her room while watching the TV.

I wanted to leave early to go to the bank and get some moolah for my laptop accessories but the lure of my PS2 was so irresistible. So I spent the rest of the day in my sister’s room playing Shadow Hearts: From The New World.

I think I need therapy. I need to lessen my playing time.

At 5pm, I called Dr___ for the update on my appeal for admission into UPCM and found out that my fears were realized: my GWA was too low, my interview was average and the high NMAT score I got couldn’t compensate for the other requirements. Although Dr___ said that I belonged to the top 10 waitlisted males (this definitely made me smile), the sum of what he said was basically, my chances of getting into the final shortlist is too slim.

Eto pa ang masaklap, sabi ni Dr___ , “Nag-Chem Eng’g ka pa kasi!”

Hay… no time for regrets.

Flashback to last Sunday, Mrs. D, the founder of Brains Training and Review where I reviewed for the Chem Eng’g licensure exam and the NMAT (Mag-enroll kayo dito! Galing ng turo!), approached me after the 11am mass and asked for updates regarding my medical school applications. After hearing my concerns, she didn’t say much but the phrase that stuck to my head was: “Whatever the Lord gives…”

Later on our way home, me and my sister Banengers stopped by Chowking and bought 2 Half-Dozen Halo-Halo and 2 fortune cookies. I can’t remember what my actual fortune was but upon cracking open my cookie, the white paper strip read something like “Be satisfied with what you have and you will not want anything else.”

What a coincidence eh? It’s like the Chinese gods are watching me.

Magpa-Feng Shui kaya ako.

HUNNIE I MISS YOU!!!

7:59 PM

Insomniac

2006-05-16T00:28:00.000+08:00

April 27, 2006

3:19 am

It is in the wee hours of the morning, if you manage to muster the energy to keep your brain functioning, that you find your imagination working in overdrive…

The simple rustling of maple leaves caused by a sudden gust of air could be as bizarre as the grunt of a sleeping giant whose popping out in your head reminded you of the meeting you have with The Boss-with-a-troll’s-nose later this morning…

And I don’t want to write anymore.

3:25 am

Backlog; Narda

2006-03-14T19:52:00.000+08:00

There was this certain Jesuit priest who reminded me that I am in his Jesuit blog links and this made me feel obliged to blog about something and in checking my previous posts, I found out I had previously unpublished (and unfinished) stories which were about a month overdue

This was written last February 17, at around 3:18 PM. Hay... kapag tamad ka talagang mag-blog...

And I find myself in Alva Computers here at Padre Faura, Manila...

This is a bizarre day. I woke up to the sound of "You'll Be Safe Here" and heard a sweet voice , and the voice was able to shake me out of the fringes of dreamland (you're such a persuasive girl Tricia), prod me to walk down the flight of stairs and shout out to Ate Henny to heat some water for my bath (No, I don't have a bathtub but the convenience of having someone else to heat the water for you is such a joy to have) . It was 7am and I had a 9am funeral mass singing engagement at UST; Tricia just wanted to make sure I won't be late. But then, usually when I wake up and I am not ready to walk the real world, I lie down on the couch while waiting for the sound of the whistling kettle... unfortunately this time I didn't hear any sound and instead, I was jolted out of slumber by the sight of my cellphone clock displaying "8:00 AM".
(Nice. LATE NA NAMAN. Utang na loob, kelan ba ako magiging maaga? Kapag puti na ang uwak? Kapag puno na ang salop? Kapag presidente na si Kristeta?)

I arrved 15 minutes late at the UST chapel where the funeral mass of Dr. Bienvenido Rivera, the father of Fr. Jboy's best friend, Fr. Robert, was being held. He was a professor at the UST Department of Medicine and Surgery, and from what I've seen and heard about him, he seems like a good, modest and intelligent teacher and doctor and was very much loved by his family, colleagues and students.

It's just sad that I missed the homily when I got to the Chapel. It would have been really nice to hear about how this doctor lived his dreams, raised his family and changed people's lives...

-___-

After the mass, my fellow choir members, Persia, Precious and Edz were walking along Espana towards Morayta and somewhere outside a computer cafe, there was this pool of red liquid that the sisters, Persia and Precious, almost stepped on. We were a bit puzzled at first but seconds later, it dawned on us that what we just passed was a crime scene and upon close scrutiny, around the pool of coagulated blood, there was blood splatter, footprints, white chalk, candles and a makeshift police line made up of straw. Edz was rattled; Precious and I started theorizing about what happened and Persia was so curious, she asked a fishball vendor about the story. Apparently, around 10pm the night before, a gay "parlorista" got shot point blank and the suspect fled after. The suspect is still at large by the time we passed the area.

Grabe... dugo.
-____-

This bloody friday was also the day I first donated blood. While killing time in UP Manila, I chanced upon a blood letting drive for the kids at the Phil. Children's Hospital and I figured this would be the chance to finally do what I had wanted to do a long time ago and besides, I wanted to find out what my bloodtype is. :)

So it turned out I was Type A+.

Later I found out that my hunnie is also A+.

Our blood is compatible! Oh joy!
^___^

Awit na nananawagan
Baka sakaling mapakikinggan
Pag-ibig na palaisipan
Sa kanta na lang idadaan
Nag-aabang sa langit
Sa mga ulap sumisilip
Sa likod ng mga tala
Kahit sulyap lang Darna

LSS: Narda by Kamikazee

Lovers' Mass and Old Friends; Jogging for Fitness; TRESE

2006-02-12T23:29:00.000+08:00

To those who still visit, I feel like I owe you guys some stories so I'll try and write fast as I still have a lot to do tonight...

^___^

Today, Tricia and I attended a Valentine's Mass (or Lover's Mass as Fr. Jboy calls it) at the UP Parish. Fr Jboy had a really heart warming homily about loving forever and making promises and the UPCSC and C5 sang beautifully (albeit the really sucky sound system which really, if you're reading this Father, needs an overhaul).

Please do check Fr. Jboy's blog @ http://faithofacenturion.blogspot.com for today's homily, it's a really good read.

Later in the evening, I had dinner with Tricia's blockmates / Engineer friends, Sheila B., Rea and Crismar at Mangan, SM North. Meian was there earlier but she had to leave (she's still on house arrest... you better get a job soon Meian! Mag-attend ka na ng practices!) and 5 minutes before we left the mall, Olan caught up with us.

Mangan is a nice restaurant... good ambiance, attentive waiters, great tasting food... but really, the food is just ordinary Filipino cuisine with high price tags.

Hay... It's quite a nostalgic experience seeing old faces and reminiscing about good times past... The last time I was with Sheila B. was 2 years ago(?), still at SM North, and I bought worms for my fish, as well as my Perry's Chem Engg handbook. Speaking of Chem Engg books, I'm thinking of selling my books and donating my exams and whatnot to whoever needs them

And this means... Time for some house cleaning. Gah!

^___^

Yesterday, Tricia and I jogged around Ateneo... I still cannot imagine how she pushed me into jogging but I'm actually enjoying the activity, even if we're doing it only once a week (BUT we've been jogging for the past 3 Saturdays now!). I wish we could jog more frequently; I don't think I'd enjoy jogging on my own anyway but we'll see.

^___^

I've been reading this locally made indie comic from Alamat Comics founder Budjette Tan and artist extraordinaire Ka-Jo Baldissimo... and I just want to share it to all of you reading this.

It's called TRESE and if you like crime stories with a cool chick kicking Aswangs' asses and racing Tikbalangs, then check it out at:

http://tresekomix.blogspot.com

I'll try and follow up with a review but then... matagal pa yun siguro. Hehe.

^___^

Please pray for me. I have a major interview at the medical school I want to get into this coming February 20 and it's a make or break situation...

^___^

Wow. It's been three months already since I last wrote something... Here's hoping for more stories to share. Ingat kayong lahat! Give carrots this Valentine's Season!

2005-12-16T09:39:00.000+08:00

Haloscan commenting and trackback have been added to this blog.

2005-11-27T00:08:00.000+08:00

Frustration.

It’s intangible and yet it persists like an irritating pimple which seemingly, like a demented, sadistic man, decides to torment you by growing at the middle of your back where you can’t reach it.

It taunts and it leaves you drained; it feeds on all your negative thoughts, bitter feelings and rancid emotions, and then it engulfs you and possesses you so it can transfer itself like a deadly virus to all those in close proximity of your being.

Frustration will make you doubt yourself. It will make you reevaluate the choices you made that brought you to your current state, and it brings upon you its most potent weapon: regret. And when regret takes hold of you, then either you shake it off, or you dwell on it, clothing yourself in its coldness, isolating yourself until you realize you’ve fallen into depression... There is a reason why being alone is lonely.

However, there are ways to combat frustration. Like all enemies, it has its own weaknesses. And your secret strength, something that you always knew but rarely occurred to you, is that you have a choice: either to give in to it or give it up and move on. And the latter is precisely what you should do: move on, shake things up… live life. Never give in to frustration and convert the negative to positive energy, positive feelings such as…

…Love.

Love is such a powerful defense. Surrounding yourself with your loved ones is like hiding from a torrent of flaming arrows under a roof made out of shields held upright by warriors you trust.

Knowing that somebody is there for you is quite comforting

Knowing that you’re not alone can make you feel like you can conquer the world.

Loving and knowing that you’re loved can make a big difference.

And hopefully, when you let go of your regrets and when the ranting stops, you realize that love is everything you wanted, everything you needed, and more.

2005-10-15T22:10:00.000+08:00

Malapit na...

...matapos ang kontrata ko sa Ginebra. Bum na naman, pero pwede ring estudyante ulit. Tingnan natin. Nakapagod maging empleyado.

...matapos ang review class ko sa NMAT. Shit.

...ang NMAT. Seryoso na ito. Shit.

...ang birthday ni Tricia. May gift ka na hunnie, sana magustuhan mo. :)

...ang Christmas. Sana may mapulot akong pera by that time.

woofy

Tired

2005-09-08T08:33:00.000+08:00

Materials Testing Room
QA Dept, GSMI Lucena

Another day... at least when I got here this morning, I had a bundle of Gran Matador Brandy 700 mL cartons waiting to be processed. Not unlike yesterday when God probably sensed I had too much work last Tuesday so he held all deliveries... Oh well. Back to boring routine work.

^___^

I'm currently listening to Pilgrim's Theme from the Vesper's 3: My Heart's Thanksgiving CD. Read the lyrics and see why I (and Angel too, if you're reading this, di kita inaagawan ng kanta) love this song so much...

Pilgrim's Theme
Lyrics: Johnny Go, S.J.

Tired of weaving dreams too loose for me to wear. Tired of watching clouds repeat their dance on air. Tired of getting tied to doing what's required. Is life a mere routine in the greater scheme of things?

Through with taking roads someone else designed. Through with chasing stars
that soon forget to shine. Through with going through one more day. What's new? Does my life still mean a thing in the greater scheme of things?

I think I'll follow the voice that calls within. Dance to the silent song it sings. I hope to find my place, so my life will fall in place. I know in time I'll find my place in the greater scheme of things.

Each must go his way, but how can I decide which path I should take? Who would be my guide? I need some kind of star to lead me somewhere far. To find a higher dream in the greater scheme of things.

The road before me bends. I don't know what I'll find. Will I meet a friend, or ghosts I've left behind? Will I even be surprised that You're with me in disguise? For it's Your hand I have seen in the greater scheme of things.

So here I follow the voice that calls within. Dance to the silent song it sings. I hope to find my place, so my life will fall in place, for Yours is the voice in my deepest dreams. You are the heart, the very heart in the greater scheme of things.

Why don't we follow the voice that calls within? Dance to the silent song it sings. One day we'll find our place, for all things fall in place. For all things have a place in the greater scheme of things.

Sometimes you'll really feel weary especially when every new day seems to be like the day before... when the routineness of work gets to your nerves and you seem to have a hard time finding meaning in what you're doing...

And things can get more confusing when even you don't know yourself what path you want to follow, when there are far too many stars in heaven that you want to reach, when the dreams that you weave, whose designs intertwine into something unapparent, are seemingly too grand for you...

^___^?

Last Sunday, somebody said to me in a sort of exasperated way that I'm always tired. I know that she meant that as a joke but...

I guess there's a hint of truth in that statement. I am tired. I don't know why I'm having a hard time waking up in the morning, going through the day, and even sleeping. I'm getting fat and I'm too tired to do something about it that I'm looking for too many reasons not to exercise. I'm getting lonely and I rant about not having friends in Lucena but I don't go out of my way to meet new friends or keep in touch with old ones. I'm losing my will to chase this dream of becoming a doctor but then, here I am again with a grander dream of marrying the girl of my songs and owning a publishing/printing house to boot. I rant while trudging down this beaten path... I rant... rant... rant... rant...

I'm always tired. Or maybe I'm just plain lazy...

Hm...

^___^

I think this is enough.

If only it would be that easy to leave my old self behind like that guy running down an unpaved path in the Nike (or was that Adidas?) commercial... Oh well.

Bored

2005-09-07T12:28:00.000+08:00

Materials Testing Room
QA Dept, GSMI Lucena

Right now, I find myself bored... nothing to do around here except to think. I can probably sleep if there's nobody around but I'm scared I might fall into a deep slumber and wake up to find my co-workers watching me drool. That won't be a pretty sight.

It's a good thing I texted Tricia. She said I should write... and yeah, I SHOULD write. It's been a long time since I 've updated my blog, and I should be putting into good use the vocabulary words I've been jotting down from various texts (e.g. Reader's Digest, Fudge Magazine, Abarat...) I've been reading. Anyway, thanks for reminding me Hunnie... I miss you.

^___^

It's really been a boring day and I'm so bored I don't know what to write. It's already 12:51 by the time I started this sentence and you've already spent so much energy just to read something that took me until 12:52 to finish.

And if you're still reading this, then thanks. You are probably one of my true friends.

^___^

It seems you still have the energy to read this sentence so I should take this opportunity to invite you to visit my choir's blog:

http://cantocinco.blogs.friendster.com/my_blog

or you could click THIS.

We'll be waiting to hear from you. :)

49 minutes; Huwag Mag-type; Miss ko na ang C5; Bum Society; Farewell; Sprite Ice; Friday na!

2005-07-15T23:16:00.000+08:00

4:11 pm
Materials Testing Room
Quality Assurance Dept
GSMI Lucena Plant

Meron pa akong 49 minutes para tumanga, umidlip, makinig sa Vespers 2, magbasa at magsulat. Ba’t naman kasi ganito ang sked ko? 4 pm, wala nang Logistics so wala na dapat deliveries at wala na akong trabaho. But no… Oh well.

^___^

Wala na naman akong maisulat. Sabi ni Neil Gaiman, para sa mga nagsisimula pa lang na manunulat, mainam na magbasa ng magbasa ng mga bagay na hindi mo kadalasang binabasa, tapos ayun, maghanap ng ideya sa paligid… at magsulat ng magsulat.

Huwag mag-type. Magsulat. Kung pwede bolpen at lapis, mas maganda…

Kaya eto, nagsusulat ako sa likod ng lumang labels ng Gordon’s London Dry Gin at alam niyo? Wala pa rin akong maisip na topic na maisulat… Ay. Meron na pala.

^___^

Nakikinig ako ngayon sa Vespers 2… Kung hindi ako nagsusulat ngayon, siguro nakatulog na ako sa saliw ng ihip at kwerdas.

Nami-miss ko na naman ang Hunnie ko, kasalukuyan kasing pinapatugtog ang If I Could Touch You ni Fr. Manoling. ‘Yan ‘yung unang natutunang kanta ni Hunnie at napag-solo na agad siya. Ganda!

Hay… I miss you Tricia… I miss Canto Cinco!

Kagabi kumakanta ako ng The Majesty And Glory Of Your Name para sa mga misa sa linggo. Naaalala ko nung huli akong nag-lunch kasama ang C5, nasa Wok Dis Way kami sa Katips tapos after kumain, kumanta sila (ang C5) ng The Majesty… Hindi ako makasabay at medyo na-sad ako kasi ang ganda-gandang pakinggan at panoorin ng more than 10 people, singing in harmony na lumalabas ng restaurant papunta sa parking lot…

Nakakainggit na nakakabighani na nakakapangulila sa mga panahong isa akong dakilang bum na walang ibang ginawa kundi kumanta…

^___^

Speaking of bums… Wala na. Tapos na ang Bum Society ng C5.

Unang nawala si Persia… isa na ngayong dakilang UMIIBIG na titser sa Mapua.

Tapos ako… Quality Assurer, taga-sukat ng bote, label, carton, caps, crowns, SOB at kung anu-ano pa dito sa GSMI.

Tapos si Tricia… ang aking hibang na hunnie na nababaliw na sa pagtuturo sa mga moth-fearing Povedans.

Tapos eto na… Si Abbey. Lilipad nang patungong US, magpapakadalubhasa sa pag-aaral at pagsusulat ng mga aklat pambata.

Hay… Mami-miss ko ang Abbey na ‘yun. Isa pa ‘yung hibang at adik umibig. As in… Stalker yan! Stalker! Hahahahaha! Biro lang Abbey.

Mami-miss kita talaga… Sobra. Susulat ka sa amin ha? Sulat kamay, wag i-type, para masaya di ba?

^___^

Farewell my dear… I hope someday you’ll find a place where your beauty, which had been long obscured from view, but still emanates with penetrating radiance, will be revealed for all to see and admire…A place where your voice will be heard without having to pass through a wall of silence and ambiguity. May you grow in God’s love and compassion, and may you never forget the power of your voice, our songs and our music.

Always remember that you have a place to come back to, a home, a family that you helped nurture into something quite remarkable, something that God has seemingly planned to use to spread his message of love.

We will miss you… rise from the abyss… soak in the rain…fly with the wind… sing!

^___^

Maiba ako.

Kahit na ka-affiliate namin ang Coca-Cola Bottlers Phil. Inc, I strongly advise you NOT to drink the newly released Sprite Ice if:

(a) It is not ice-cold
(b) You don’t want to feel like you’ve brushed your teeth… tapos hindi ka nagmumog.

^___^

Friday na! At 4:41pm pa lang! Shiyet! 19 minutes pa bago mag-5pm! Sige… magbabasa muna ako.

I’ll see you soon Hunnie… Yipee!

Minsan Last Week

2005-07-12T21:42:00.000+08:00

0729 AM
Materials Testing Room
GSMI Lucena Plant

Hay… Looks like another boring day with boring routine work. Nakakabobo magsukat. Wish ko lang magka-problem or something para busy ang araw na ito… para makapag-isip. Kasi kapag nagkaka-problem, iisipan mo ng cause pati recommendation, at least nayu-utilize ng KONTI ang pagiging engineer…
Eh kahapon nga ng hapon, walang deliveries so ayun, naggugupit lang ako ng tags para sa training manuals namin. SHIT. Pathetic.

^___^

Break.

Kwentuhan kami ni Ma’am Ansel about movies, Dan Brown and the Catholic Church. Masaya kakuwentuhan itong si Ma’am Ansel. Dami kwento.

May 2 kids siya, si Adeline at Anceline na sobrang cute and pretty kids at masusundan pa ng isa this August. Pinagpupustahan na nga sa QA kung ano ang kasarian ng bata.

Tapos I found out that Nica teaches her kids in pre-school! Small world! Hi Nica!

^___^

Kakaiba talaga gumalaw dito sa GSMI. Papano, pamilyado na ang lahat, maging babae, lalaki o bading. Kung hindi production ang pinag-uusapan kapag lunchbreak, ang topic ay kids o kaya pagbubuntis.

Kung anu-ano tuloy ang pumapasok sa utak ko… di ba Hunnie?

^___^

Hm… Stop muna. Mag-encode lang ako. Babay!

Fine Time

2005-07-05T20:51:00.000+08:00

I hope we could spend more time together
A few hours is better than never
If we could only make it longer
The whole day would be fine

Ganito na lang ba lagi? Isang araw sa isang linggo… sa dalawang linggo…Hay. Kasama kita buong araw noong linggo at sobrang saya ko. Nakakapawi ng pagod. Dama naman di ba? Dama ko rin naman ang saya mo… Nakakataba ng puso ang pakiramdam na minamahal ka ng isang taong nag-uumapaw sa kabaitan at pagmamahal.

I think its time to clean your car
I’m not home if someone calls
We could go out for a date
We could sing some songs we hate

Why not swim in someone’s pool
Jump a crane 12 stories high
Have a picnic in my room
Sit outside and watch the moon

Nagawa na ba natin 'yun? 'Yung tumambay sa labas at panoorin ang buwan? Hindi pa yata... huli tayong nakaupo sa dilim sa ilalim ng buwan eh nung retreat sa Tagaytay... Ang ganda ng gabing 'yun, medyo marami mang istorbo, kakaiba pa rin ang pakiramdam kapag mahal mo ang kausap mo... kayakap mo...

Naisip ko lang hindi na natuloy yung mga swimming na binalak natin kasama sina Abbey at Persia pero sobrang astig naman yung sa Laguna, yung lumangoy tayo sa ilog, umakyat at naglakad sa putik, sa ilalim ng matinding sikat ng araw at sa huli, ang buhusan ng tubig mula sa rumaragasang talon. Ang sarap mong kasama... ang saya mong kausap... ang galing mong mag-alaga ng mga batang myblue... ang ta-- este, ang sarap mong kasamang kumain. =P

We could drive into the malls
Or stay home and watch TV
I don’t care if we don’t have lunch
Just as long as we have iced tea

I could take you to a film
Hunt for books and magazines
Is that new song out on sale
I think your dress is kinda pale

Nakakaaliw kang kasama sa mall. Tahimik lang most of the time, pinapanood ako o kaya ang mga tao. Tahimik na naglalakad, may bakas ng ngiti sa mga labi. Hindi ka masyadong mahilig magpapasok ng mga shops, o kaya magtingin ng mga damit at magsukat ng sapatos. Kaya minsan naiisip ko kung ok na sa'yo yung magkasama tayo o or bored ka lang sa akin o nahihiya kang magsukat na kasama ako. Kaya pagpasensiyahan mo na ang kadaldalan ko, at pagiging praning ko kasi ang tahimik mo eh. Hehe.

Natuwa ako noon sinabi mong naaaliw ka sa akin nung nag-light up ang mga mata ko after nating pumasok sa isang comic store. Naaaliw naman ako sayo sa tuwing may makikita kang astigin na gift wrapper o kaya makapasok ka sa mga bookstores na maraming children's books o kaya sa isang crafts shop na maraming abubot na pang-regalo. Nanggigil ako sayo at gusto kitang yakapin at kurutin kapag nakakakita ka ng cute na bata or cute na aso dahil ang cute din ng boses mo, biglang tumataas at nagtutunog gigil. Pero alam mo, malakas kang mang-okray ng mga taong nakikita natin sa mall pero hindi masyadong halata...

There are times when disagree
My heart sinks to the sea
I’m always anxious when we kiss and make-up
Please don’t tire of understanding me

Hay... Eto yung ayaw ko. Kapag naiinis ako pag pasaway ka, or naiinis ka kasi pasaway ako. Pero alam mo? Hindi kita matiis, sobra. Kahit na madalas masungit ako at puno ng poot, alam mo namang kahit sitsitan mo lang ako eh tatakbo ako agad papunta sa tabi mo. Ikaw pa eh ang lakas mo sa akin.

Salamat sa pagintindi...

Being with you makes me feel so safe
I don’t care if we go out of town
I don’t care if we sleep all day
Basta’t kayakap ka ay okey

Sana matuloy yung balak nating pumunta ng Intramuros, Manila Zoo, National Museum, Tagaytay at pati na rin yung place na gusto kong puntahan sa San Pablo. Basta, kahit saan, kahit sa Baywalk lang ulit, kasama si Neng, tapos makikinig tayo kay Toto. Ok na yun, basta kasama ka. Iba kasi pag kasama ka, nakakawala ng pagod, nakakaalis ng problema, masaya, masaya, masaya, ngiti mo pa lang ulam na. Ang cute ng dimples mo!!!

A whole week would be fine
A whole month would be fine
A whole year would be fine
A decade would be fine
A century would be fine
Fine fine time
Forever would be fine

Habang buhay? Pwede na yun... sobra.

Happy 2 months Hunnie. :)

Downtime; Ang Dungis Nun!; Ka-Greenwich; Ka-takawan At Ka-babuyan

2005-06-21T19:06:00.000+08:00

10:44am
Materials Testing Rm
QA Dept
GSMI Lucena Plant

Downtime… Eto pala ang nakakaburat sa work. Wala kang magawa. Wala naming net dito sa office, dati meron pero cost-cutting kaya tinanggal. Kakaiba, halos walang deliveries today… 2 deliveries pa lang ngayong umaga, formed carton GMB 700, flat oval bottle 375. Tapos nandito pa si Maam Ancel so dalawa pa kaming walang magawa dito sa office. Tinuruan nga pala niya akong mag-encode ng dimensional analysis ko sa PQMS, tapos iyon, nakapag-encode naman ako. Chicken.

Ngayon, mga 30 minutes na akong nakatunganga lang. Nakakatamad namang aralin yung training manuals namin, puno ng stuff na siyempre ngayon ko lang na-encounter, ayaw ko namang magtanong ng magtanong kay Ate Ancel. Tapos nakakabaliw pa tingnan yung specifications ng products lalo na yung sa labels and caps, ang hirap i-differentiate ng light, standard and dark swatches/color guides. Parang pare-pareho lang.
Color-blind nga yata ako gaya ng sabi ni Deedee.

Buti pa kahapon, ang daming deliveries!

Kahapon, meron pang naiwang deliveries na kinailangang i-record at tatakan from last Sunday. Although yun nga lang, feeling ko nag-accept ako ng stuff na hindi ko naman alam kung mapapanindigan ko kung sakaling for rejection pala dapat. E malay ko ba sa mga defects nun, hindi pa naman ako marunong tumingin. Unang araw ko pa lang yun. Nangangapa pa rin ako sa procedures sa dept, tapos hindi pa ako marunong kumuha ng percent defects. Malay ko pa kung ano yang hitsura ng mga defects nay an. Hay… still have a long way to go… Routine naman yung job eh so ok na siguro a month into the job e ok na ako.

Pero nakakairita man ang job kasi sobrang mabusisi, ok pa naman ako so far tapos sobrang saya at friendly pa ng mga tao dito, lalo na ang mga kapwa ko QA’s although hindi rin ako makapag-bond ng maayos sa kanila kasi puro babae, tapos yung iba pamilyado na kaya puro anak at pagbubuntis ang pinag-uusapan. Hay… as long as mabait sila. J

^___^

Ang tagal naman ng lunchbreak! Shit, nagugutom na ako.

^___^

Hm, hindi pa ako nakakaikot dito sa planta. Hindi ko pa alam kung saan ang mga production lines, kung san ang warehouse… everything. Tapos there might come a time na kapag sa lines na ako naka-assign, I have to inspect the deliveries, the equipments, and the products. Buti na lang may Quality Inspector kami dito, at least siya yung nagco-conduct ng visual inspection ng deliveries instead of us QA’s eh sus ko, kung may around 1200+ pallets na dumating, kelangan nilang mag-inspect ng 26 cases of bottles to look for defects and what not. Iba pa yun sa mga dumarating na 2nd-hand bottles na washed and unwashed! Ang dungis nun na nakakapagod pa! Astig talaga yung si Rommel, yung QI namin. Bait pa, siya kasi yung kasabay ko umuwi kasi kapag papauwi na siya, ibig sabihin wala nang deliveries so pwede na rin akong umuwi. Hehe.

^___^

Meron nga pala akong cute na discovery dito sa office… CD ng Greenwich. Sulat ko dito yung lyrics nung kanta

Ka-Greenwich Kita

Intro:

Kailan lang tayo nagkakilala.
Pero parang super ka-close na kita
Ka-gimmick, ka-text, o ka-tropa
Kaibigan, ang sarap mong makilala

I. Ka-village, ka-tambay, o ka-barangay. Ka-kilay, ka-kulay, ka-height o ka-size
Ka-bus, ka-jeepney, ka-MRT
Sa madaling salita, whoever you may be…

Chorus:
Ka-Greenwich na naman kita
Dito rin tayo nagkita di ba?
Ka-pizza, ka-join ang barkada,
Ka-close ang feeling sa isa’t isa

Ka-Greenwich na naman kita
Ka-hati, ka-share sa iisang pizza
Sarap ka-join bagong ka-kilala
Sarap ka Greenwich
Up to sawa

II. Ka-school, ka-carpool, ka-office, ka-service, ka-joke o ka-chismis, basta’t about showbiz
Ka-FX, ka-floor o ka-elevator
Ka-bonding ang lahat, like never before

^___^

Wah! Siyempre na-miss ko bigla Hunnie ko. Ka-Greenwich ko yun sa tuwing nagke-crave ako for pizza… ka-takawan din at ka-babuyan… Haha! Hunnie, di tayo healthy magkasama. :)

Demo dapat nun ngayon, kaso nagkasunog sa karatig building nung school kaya hindi natuloy. Swerte ng hunnie ko, takot na takot yon eh. Malas lang niya at mahihibang na naman siyang muli sa susunod when it could have been over today. Oh well…

I love you hunnie…

Watch tayo Batman: Begins!

Sa Wakas; Belgian Bites; Si Mama Talaga; Ang Tatay Kong Groovy

2005-06-17T23:43:00.000+08:00

Natapos ko na sa wakas ang papers ko today…

Nakakapagod pala mag-drive ng halos buong araw…

Pasaway pa kasi under ako sa agency, eh tinatawagan ko kanina, walang sumasagot. Sana naman sa pagdaan ko doon bukas, may tao.

Excited na ako para sa Lunes, mukhang masaya ang work. Mabusisi pero masaya.

Sana sa Lab ako ma-assign…

^___^

Na-miss ko Hunnie ko today.

Siya kasi ang nag-introduce sa akin ng Belgian Bites ng Mister Donut.

Eh sobrang pagod ako kanina sa SM nang nakakita ako ng Belgian Bites…

Kaya ayun. Nangulila.

Hay…

Bwiset iyon, sira iyong coffee machine nila. Mahal na mahal ko pa man din ang coffee ng Mister Donut. It’s not Starbucks pero lasang brewed naman ang coffee nila (malay ko ba kung brewed nga iyon), tapos mura pa!

Naalala ko tuloy iyong review days ko sa Brains. Sa Quezon Ave kasi ang class, tapos para makarating doon, sumasakay ako ng bus sa EDSA tapos bumaba ng Quezon Ave tapos naglalakad. Eh umaga iyon, siyempre antok pa ako kaya ang ginagawa ko, bumibili ako ng kape sa Mister Donut tapos dadalhin ko sa class. Naiinggit nga sa akin si Joy sa tuwing may dala akong ganoon.

Btw, Joy, hindi ka pa nanlilibre!

^___^

Weirdo ng nanay ko. Nagpakananay talaga siya sa akin ngayong araw na ito, as in gusto niya akong samahan sa lahat ng pupuntahan ko at aayusin na papers tapos ang kulit-kulit magtanong ng mga kulang pang papers. Tapos lahat na lang yata ng kakilala sa ganitong office eh iniisip para madalian daw ako sa proseso, eh yun naman yung ayaw ko, yung naghahanap ng pakikiusapan para mapadali ang lahat.

Si Mama talaga.

^___^

Tatay ko naman, tatay talaga. Hinahayaan lang ako sa mga bagay-bagay na gusto kong gawin, wala masyadong sinasabi sa kung ano man ang gusto niya para sa akin. Mas maingay pa nga si Mama about me not working and being in a choir than Papa .

Siguro kasi musikero din ang tatay ko kaya naiintindihan niya ako. Tsaka groovy si Papa, nakaka-appreciate yun ng music ko, be it Liturgical, Pop, Acoustic, Rock… Basta yung mga uso ngayon, nakakarelate yun. Favorite nga nun ang MYMP at ang South Border.

Ang pinakapriority ng tatay ko sa buhay ay ang magtrabaho ng trabaho para mapakain kami, tapos kapag may opportunity na lumabas at makasama ang family, kinukuha niya lagi. Walang pagod din yung mag-drive papuntang Manila at sobrang worried sa mga anak niya lalong lalo na sa only daughter niyang kasama niya for 16 years na ngayon ay nasa dorm na sa Manila.

Physician ang tatay ko at sobrang mahal yun ng mga pasyente niya. Ang pinakamatanda niyang pasyente ay 94 years old; bilib ako sa doon at may pasyente pa siyang ganoon na katanda, parang Fountain of Youth yata si Papa kapag nagpagamot ka sa kanya.

Kaya sa tatay kong groovy, musikero, doctor at ama,
Happy Father’s Day!

Ingay; Dream Jobs; Happy for Hunnie

2005-06-17T23:34:00.000+08:00

7:22 AM

Sa Labas ng SSS Lucena

Shit. Ang aga ko.

Ang init dito, grabe.

Ang ingay sa Lucena sa umaga, puro tricycle ang maririnig mo.

Dumadami na ang tao dito sa labas, buti na rin pala maaga na ako dumating.

Hay…

^___^

On Monday, working doogi na si Woofy.

Quality Assurer ng GSMI Lucena Plant. Naks! Quality Assurer. Not really my dream job but this will do for the meantime. Good naman ang pay for a contract job, and I’ll only be away from Manila for only 5mos. Plus, I get to live with my parents and get reacquainted with the people, the culture, and the laidback lifestyle here in Quezon.

Come to think of it, ano nga ba ang dream job ko?

Noong bata ako, gusto kong maging scientist. Walang specific field, basta scientist; as if ganoon kadali iyon. Noong mga panahon na iyon kasi, hindi ko pa alam kung ano ang engineer. Ngayon alam ko na, laking kaibahan pala ng engineer sa scientist. Nyahaha! Anyway, let me make a list of my dream jobs tutal wala naman akong magawa ngayon…

video game designer
recording artist (dream in progress)
owner/CEO ng San Miguel Corporation
owner/CEO ng Jolibee Corporation (Walang kokontra, dream job nga eh)
astronaut
Don Carlos Palanca Award winning writer
Comic book store owner
Publisher of cutting-edge Pinoy comic books and my own hobby magazine
Animated film producer / owner of an animation studio
Asawa ni Hunnie at tatay ng little Woofies and little Hunnies

^___^

Pocha naman o, ang tagal magbukas ng SSS.

Ang cute ng Hunnie ko kahapon, nagfreakout dahil sa isang interview… wait, hindi pala cute yun. What I meant was nakakaaliw siyang magfreakout, nahihibang na madrama and all… Naisip ko lang na hindi ko pa siya nakikitang ganoon. Worried pa naman ako dahil hindi ako sanay kapag nagfrea-freakout siya. Oh well, at least she was fine later that night. Her story about how the interview went was quite amusing, as in everytime daw may tanong sa kanya, ang una niyang naiisip na sagot ay sarcastic answer tapos biglang mare-realize niya na, oo nga pala, kailangan ko palang galingan.

Hay… Hunnie ko. Hibang.

Btw, malapit na siyang magkaroon ng work… Yay! Kahit hindi iyon ang preferred job niya sana, proud pa rin ako sa kanya. Kahit na disaster ang interview niya, mukhang kukunin naman siya talaga kaya masaya naman ako…

Happy for you Hunnie. :)

How My Day Went; "Masanay ka na!"

2005-06-15T23:28:00.000+08:00

I only have 35 minutes to write so I’ll make this quick…

Ang sarap talaga ng may car! Been driving around Lucena City the whole day… and here’s how the day went.

Woke up later that planned kasi puyat sa pagiging hingahan ng poot ng Hunnie ko. I was supposed to go jogging with my parents at around 6am but they did not wake me up; it turns out Papa was not feeling well. I was also supposed to go to the local SSS office to apply for an ID but then by the time Mama and I got there, the quota of 70 new applicants per day was already met. Silly me, I was already warned by Papa yesterday that the SSS line would be quite long. Oh well.

Next stop was PhilHealth. It didn’t take too long there, and now I am guaranteed (I hope) some discount if I get hospitalized. Funny thing, I almost committed a major blunder: I was already walking towards the Campo/Bayan jeepney parked by the highway when I realized I brought a car. Silly, silly me. Oh well, at least did not totally forget my car unlike this really cute lass who forgot her wallet when she left her house and realized she did so when she was later in line to pay for LOA fees. Poor thing… good thing there was this stranger who was a friend’s uncle who offered to pay for her.

Anyway, I went home afterwards and played my beloved PS2 for 2 hours, my daily allowance for indulging in console role-playing goodness. I then left for the Barangay Hall to get my clearance but my silly mom gave me directions to the wrong hall. So I had to drive back past our subdivision, and I had to take a wrong turn and ask around 4 people (who all gave different directions) to get to where I was going. The people at the Barangay Hall were friendly though, and the treasurer, Tito Manny, was an acquaintance of my parents whom they met in Couples for Christ.

I then went straight to my parents’ clinic afterwards; there were lots of patients and medreps waiting to get treated and attended to. One happy note: Tita Luz, my parents’ secretary, a nurse, and sister of the late husband of my mom’s sister, showed me a list of Papa’s patients and patient fees for the day and there must be more than 30 names there. Good day for my dad. :)

I waited for my mom to finish her work and hung out at Mug Café which was located across the street. It is a small place, furnished with a blue sofa, some aluminum tables and nice, soft, comfy chairs and it is well-lit by the afternoon sun; a good place to relax and hangout whether with friends or alone. I ordered a cup of Café Americano (which was quite bitter for my taste) and it took them forever to cook a Cheese Pizza which was nothing out of the ordinary but is quite enough to please my growling stomach.

After that, I walked towards the main avenue that runs through the city and went to Avenue Bookstore. I was in for a surprise when I looked through their textbooks and found three hardbound copies of Perry’s Chemical Engineering Handbook selling for only 3312.50 pesos (which was quite cheap according to my Hunnie). So for anyone I know who wants a copy, just text me.

I also went to a small pet shop across the street. It was a cramped, hot and foul-smelling shop, with cages of lovebirds stacked right beside poorly lit aquariums containing different fishes swimming in murky waters. Further inside, you’ll see stacks of poorly maintained cages containing two Japanese Spitz, a Dachshund and a Shitzu. The Spitz and Dachshund both sell for only 3500 which was quite cheap and if I had the money, I would’ve bought all of them just to take them away from that awful shop.

(Man, it’s 11:10 and I’m already 10 minutes past my planned sleeping time… oh well. On to my entry)

After that, I went to SM to buy a polo for tomorrow as well as some briefs and groceries (or rather, C2 and junkfood). Then back to my place to watch CSI while watching dinner.

What a day. To tell you the truth, even though I’m sad about being away from Canto Cinco and my Hunnie, and not getting a more permanent job in Manila, I think I’m going to like living and working here. Congrats nga pala sa Hunnie ko... She's going to be a teacher. :)

^___^

I overheard an amusing story my mom told a medrep while I was in the clinic. Actually, my mom told the medrep lots of stuff. She talked about the job offer here and my plans to go to medschool next year. She talked about how Vanessa is in Manila right now, studying. And she talked about Papa, and that part made me smile.

Sabi daw kasi ni Papa, “Ganito pala yung pakiramdam kapag iiwan ka na ng mga anak mo ano? ‘Yung magiging tayong dalawa na lang ang sa bahay…” And my mom was laughing… sabi niya, “Masanay ka na!”

I then realized that maybe that’s part of the reason why they insisted on me to take the contract job here. Baka nangungulila sila… hindi kasi sila sanay.

Our House Has 3 Gates; Angels and Demons

2005-06-15T00:18:00.000+08:00

Our house here in Lucena has three gates: one for the passenger jeepney, one for the garage that holds a car and a Revo, and a small gate that most guests go through which leads to a porch and the front door. Upon entering the front door, you’ll find our living room and if you walk forward towards the wall (where the TV cabinet that houses our ancient stereo system, as well as wooden carvings of the face of Jesus and the Sto. Niño on top of speakers are all lined up), you’ll see two doors to your left and a door and the main dining area to your right.

Ivan and I used one of the rooms to the left as our room, while Vanessa had the other room to herself. My parents occupied the room to the right, which incidentally has a door that leads to the porch; Papa and Mama used half of their room as their clinic. Their room was smaller than our room; in fact, our room was originally designed to be the Master’s bedroom. When the time came for the Master’s bedroom to live up to its name, the walls had stickers on it, the paint was falling off, the wooden-tiled floors had lots of wooden tiles missing, and the closets had puncture marks from pins that Ivan and I used to put posters and whatnot of our favorite cartoon characters.

I don’t quite remember the exact year when we moved to this house; we first lived in a small house about 10 minutes bike ride from here, and I had my earliest memories there… or rather, most of my baby pictures were taken there, including my first birthday and pictures of me and my brother in sando and briefs. My brother had his first kiss at that street, he was only 5 when I was dared to kiss our neighbor. But I couldn’t and so my brother was dared. He went for the kiss. Hehe.

Right now, I’m here in my sister’s bedroom (which was the room my parents used when we were kids) and I’ll be using this room for at least the next three months. Right now, my sister is in Manila and she had just started taking BS Psychology in Holy Spirit. And even though I’m quite scared for her being a stone’s throw away from the circus that is Malacanang, I am proud that she had finally taken a step out of her sanctuary and braves the scary world that is Manila and college-life.

Anyway, it’s quite funny that I had already made this my room in one night: I took out the small TV my sis was using and put the big TV that was in the living room, then I had set up the Playstation 2, then I rearranged the abubot that my sis has piled up to make room for some of my stuff and I had filled her closet with my clothes. Exciting… it’s been quite a while since I actually felt I lived here. Ever since I went to Pisay for highschool, everytime I stay here in Lucena for the weekend or the summer vacation, I felt like I’m forever a guest because I don’t have my own room. They displaced me since I rarely stay here, especially when college came where a whole sem would pass before I go back home. Now I have a room again, and quite frankly, I’m giddy.

You might be wondering what I’m doing here in Lucena… I’ll be working here. Nothing permanent though, its only for a 3-5 months. I still want that perfect job in Manila, close to my Hunnie and to Canto Cinco. Obviously, I’m not that excited about working here but then again, I keep in mind what Sheila texted me, that this will give me time with my parents, at hindi nabibili yon. I also keep in mind what K told me the other day, na kapag sumuweldo na ako, malayo man ako sa Hunnie ko, hindi ko na proproblemahin ang pamasahe para puntahan siya. :)

^___^

Right now, the new series True Horror is showing in Discovery and the host (who is a Buffy the Vampire Slayer veteran… let me find out who this is in a while), was tackling real life Demons and exorcism.

And they showed footage of an actual exorcism… creepy stuff that you don’t want to see but you won’t be able to take your eyes off. He interviewed Father Gabriel, the president of the International Society of Exorcism (or something like that) in Vatican City, who has faced many adversaries, from Lucifer to Lilith. They also reenacted the exorcism in 1556 called the Miracle of Laon, where a 16 year old girl French girl named Nicole (not sure about the spelling) was possessed by Beelzebub for at least 2 months before finally exorcised leaving her body broken, her sanity hanging by a thread, and the whole community of Laon, France believing that demons and God exist.

I have always been skeptical about the existence of these demons. I am equally skeptical about angels and spirits too. It’s just not believable when you can’t seem to sense them nor see them. And yet the Catholic Church says they exist, and so somehow, I still believe that they exist. And I have these friends in Canto Cinco that actually experienced Succubus attacks... as well as being saved by angels.

During the Canto Cinco outing in Laguna, we hiked and swam a river to a small waterfalls; it was our way of taking a break from the hectic ministry work and communing with God’s handicraft. It was quite an experience; but what made it really memorable for me was when I believe “my” guardian angel made his/her presence known to me. Let me retell how it went…

There were parts in the hike where we have to swim against long stretches of downstream-flowing water. I am not much of a swimmer, but I did brave swimming against the river, aided by the small backpack my Hunnie brought which I carried for her. Along the way, I noticed that I had scraped the sando I wore on the moss-covered rocks and it was stained. I tried rubbing off the stains from the sando but it just won’t come off. There was something peculiar with the stain; it outlined something so I showed it to Deedee. Upon seeing it, she said to me, “Julz! Angel yan!” I was perplexed but then when I looked at it, it did outline the shape of an angel as viewed from the side. I wish I could show it to you right now but I don’t have the means (maybe on Sunday). Anyway, it was an angel facing to the left; you’ll clearly see the head, its garment including the sleeves, and its wings. I couldn’t believe it. I even laughed to myself at how stereotypical this angel looked like. But then… how many times would you see a stain from scraping against moss-covered rocks that is shaped like an angel?

But hey, I’m still not a total believer. I’m still skeptical about these things but it is quite nice to know that I am being guarded by heavenly beings and that somebody of pure goodness is looking over me.

Grabe Pala Ang Buhay Artista

2005-06-11T19:53:00.000+08:00

Noong nakaraang linggo, June 5, galing ako sa Pagsanajan kasama ang Canto Cinco para sa pangalawang araw ng shooting ng music video ng O Bayan ng Diyos na kinanta ng Himig Heswita…

Grabe pala ang buhay artista… Nakakapagod! Four ng umaga ang calltime sa Jescom… umulan pa ng malakas ng gabing ‘yon kaya ang putik ng kalye, ang daming debris. Akala ko nga hindi na matutuloy ‘yung shoot pero sa awa ng Diyos, natuloy naman…

Sa isang resort sa Pagsanjan ang shoot. Nakakatawa ‘yun, may banner sa entrance na nakasulat e “Welcome Showgirls” or something to that effect. Nyahaha!

Canto Cinco sa Pagsanjan

Fiesta dapat yung set pero pagdating namin ‘dun malayo sa fiesta yung dating kasi parang kulang sa dekorasyon… pero astig kasi kapag nakita niyo yung video, iisipin niyo na oo nga, fiesta nga ito.

Sa ilog ang mundo'y tahimik...

Mayroon kasing scene na sobrang laking salu-salo, as in mga taongbayan na nakapalibot sa isang malaking lamesang puro pagkain tapos kumakain at nagsasaya… coolness.

Eighteen (yata) kami nun na pumunta mula sa Canto Cinco. Kami yung “talents” (shiyet… ang sarap pakinggan!). Mga taumbayan ang roles namin… pero wag ka, ang mga taumbayan naming lalaki, ang puputi! Mukhang mga taga-Maynila. May mga pasaway pa sa amin na ayaw magsuot ng duster kagaya ni Persia at Deedee na nagpa-special request pa sa direk.

Ilan sa mga taongbayan, left to right, top to bottom: Edz, Patot, Roma, Vic, Eric, Jett, Sheila, Deedee, Persia, Noel M.

Masaya naman ang shoot, nakakapagod nga lang kasi siyempre nasa initan, tapos humid pa nung araw na yun. Siyempre ang daming paulit-ulit na takes, pero ang galing kasi ng mata ng director namin, si Direk Sherman So (na siyang director of photography ng Kampanerang Kuba).

Direk So (nakatalikod) plus the Taongbayan Singers

Ang mga role na ginanapan ko eh naglalakad na may hawak na basket ng prutas (hindi birong dalhin kasi may pinya, santol at saging sa basket na yun), nagpipilit na tumutugtog ng gitara (yung souvenir guitars na maliit at apat lang ang string) na nakahiga sa damuhan na may sombrero sa ulo,

The Taongbayan Instrumentalists, left to right: Eric, Will, Jett, Rina at ako na nakahiga. If you look closely, dalawa ang aking chin... chubaboy

tsaka taumbayan na tumatawid sa ilog at bumabati sa mga nakasakay sa bangka. Grabe yun, wala dapat akong balak na mabasa pero kasi sa scene, nakaabang kaming mga taong bayan sa magkabilang gilid ng ilog tapos may mga bangka na dadaan sa gitna. E ang kaso, may mga Krung-krung na nakasakay sa bangka na dumadaan din, mga galling sa Pagsanjan falls, tapos yung isang bangkero, sinagwan ba naman kami! Ayun, basang-basa kami nina Deedee, Eric, Roma at Tricia ng tubig. Buwisit yung bangkero na yun.

Taongbayan na tumatawid sa ilog, left to right: Eric, Roma, Tricia, Woofy, Patot, Allan, Deedee, Persia

Anyway, meron siyempre sa aming masusuwerte na overexposed sa camera, kagaya nina Eric, Patot, Jett, Sheila at lalung-lalo na si Herbie na siyang naging star! Gumanap siya na isang batang malusog na nanghabol ng manok upang gawing tinola. Hehe.

Kakaiba talaga itong experience na ito. Nakakapagod dahil sa sobrang init, at tagal pero sobrang fulfilling. Sayang nga hindi ko nakita nung isang practice yung partially-edited version ng video pero I'm sure kapag nakita ko 'yun eh sobrang maaliw ako. Wish ko lang ngayon eh sana kasama ulit ang Canto Cinco as talents para sa video ng Kapayapaan. :)

Left to right, Top row: Vic, Edz, Celina, Allan, Jayson (Patot), Herbie, Will. Second Row: Precious (Deedee), Sheila, Tricia, Eric Rina. Bottom row: Roma, Persia, Woofy
Canto Cinco na!

Retreat

2005-05-12T16:20:00.000+08:00

It's funny how i went to Caleruega last weekend hoping to get a couple of questions answered and coming back to good ol' Manila with the same questions unanswered.

It's true that I have gone back from the retreat with a clearer sense of who I am and what I want to do but still, the question of what to do in a span of a year before the next schoolyear starts is still bugging me, three days after communing with God and nature.

Those reading this post who knows me and heard my different stories about how I am going to the States this August, or how I am planning to enter a game design school in the States, or how I want to be a doctor will probably be rolling their eyes again and thinking, "What does this guy want to do now?"

And this is my answer: I might not be leaving for the US anymore and if that's the case, you might see me in Manila taking up Medicine next school year.

It's quite ironic how I couldn't see myself as a doctor when I was a kid and here I am wanting to be one. Check my gradeschool yearbook or ask any of my gradeschool classmates in Lucena City, and I would always say how I wanted to be a scientist. Haha! How innocent...

But then again, I am now a scientist. I am now an engineer. I am now what I wished for when I was a kid. Looking back though, I know that what I did not want to be was a doctor. I did not want to be like my mom and my dad who most of the time were not there... but are they really not there?

One of our activities during the retreat was to make a map of our lives, putting emphais on the important crossroads that we took. And one thing I realized that day was how I had taken forgranted of my parents, blaiming them for not being there when in fact it is clear that it is through their love and guidance that I am here right now.

I love my parents. And I want to be like them. It is only recently that I realized I wanted to be what they are: two devoted doctors who love their craft and their family just as much. People who tried their best and gave their all to keep us, their family, and the sick people they help happy.

So what to do? I am what I wanted to be... I guess I might just try being what I am now. *Sigh* there's far to many unsure things in my life and one of them is if I can keep this desire to be a doctor burning well until the next school year... I certainly hope so. And I ask for your prayers.

Yari Na Naman Ako; Ang Cute Ko Raw Mainis; CBFM & VAT; Finding Neverland; "Bilis! Nasasayang Ang Puri Namin Sa'yo!"

2005-04-14T00:41:00.000+08:00

Kakarating ko lang. Yari na naman ako sa Lola kong groovy, hindi ko kasi nasabing didiretso ako sa practice namin eh. Bahala na bukas, batiin ko na lang siguro ng "Good Morning!" tapos pagtitimpla ko ng kape. Ok na siguro 'yun.

^___^

Gising ako ng 10 kaninang umaga. Punta kasi akong Eastwood ng 2:15 para manood ng Finding Neverland (Ganda! Pramis! Nood kayo!). Tapos nag-text ba naman itong si Persia ng 11, sabi kung gusto ko raw ng raket, 250/hr, gagawa lang ako ng essay. E tatlong oras na lang yung natitira para makarating akong Libis at maliligo pa ako, kakain, bibiyahe... pero siyempre pera yun kaya hindi ko tinanggihan. Hehe.

Kaso nga lang, 1:30 ko na natapos ang essay, kaya ayun, nag-taxi ako pa-Libis. Kaya yung kinita kong 375 pesos eh naging 300 na lang. Pasaway pa tong loyal friend ko kanina sa practice kasi late na nga dumatin, ang arte pa pagdating sa mga choreography, kesyo corny daw ang action songs, kesyo OA naman daw sa dami yung hand gestures sa koro ng Kung Yong Nanaisin... Ewan ko lang ha.

Funny lang, sabi ni Tricia, ang cute ko raw mainis kasi namumula ako. Nanggagalaiti daw ba sa galit... Teorya ko sa lamig lang yun pamumula na yun, blood rush. Pero honga, nanggagalaiti nga ako kanina.

Hay, buti na lang mahal ko tong loyal friend ko na ito.

^___^

Total log ban ang topic, tapos yung essay ng tutee ni Persia na natanggap ko sa e-mail eh against total log ban. I-edit ko daw, gawin ko daw 2000 words. Tapos 1,450 words pa lang yung essay... ayuz. Saan ko pupulutin yung 500+ words di ba? Buti na lang against total log ban din ako, at sinuwerteng against total log ban din ang World Wildlife Fund at sa website nila, merong alternative solution na iminungkahi!

Well, totoo nga, may iba pa naman kasing paraan kesa sa knee-jerk reacction ng gobyernong ito sa sakunang nangyari sa Real at Infanta, Quezon. Meron ngang provisions na lumabas way back in 1996 tungkol sa isang national forest management strategy na tinatawang nilang Community Based Forest Management (CBFM). Simple lang yun, turuan ang mga indigenous peoples at mga local communities na nakasalalay ang buhay sa gubat na gumamit ng ating natural resources ng tama at may responsibilidad. Tutal karapatan naman natin at ng mga magiging supling natin ang magkaroon ng pagkukunan ng kabuhayan.

Problema kasi sa gobyernong ito, sa halip na pagigtinging mabuti ang pagpapatupad ng batas eh gawa na lang ng gawa ng panibagong mga batas na hindi naman nakakatulong sa atin. Gaya na lang ng extended VAT na yan, sus ko, eh hindi naman mayayaman ang tatamaan nun kasi yung mga luxury goods na walang VAT naman ang binibili ng mga yun. At kala ba nila eh mahihirap ang bumibili ng sariwang isda? Hindi no. Mas mahal kayang gumawa ng putahe mula sa sariwang kamatis at galunggong kesa bumili ng Ligo sardines. Eh ang sardinas eh may VAT; ibig sabihin dito pa lang ang mga mahihirap ang mas tatamaan ng VAT kesa sa mga mayayaman. At sino ang pinakatatamaan ng VAT na yan? Ang mga middle class, kasi lahat na lang ng bibilhin namin ay may VAT. Vwiset.

^___^

Sa wakas napanood ko na ang Finding Neverland.

Kaastigan.

Ang ganda ng pelikula. Simula pa lang, mapapangiti ka na agad sa musika na maririnig mo. Pagkatapos maaaliw ka sa relasyon ni James Barry (Johnny Depp) sa mga Davis boys na nakilala niya isang hapon sa park. Ang mga Davis boys na ito na anak ni Sylvia (Kate Winslet) ang siyang magiging basehan ng lahat ng characters sa play na Peter Pan. Mapapaluha ka rin naman sa lahat ng nakakaantig na eksena sa pelikula, lalo na nung pinapanood ni James kay Sylvia at sa Davis boys yung play.

Kaastigan talaga.

Manood na kayo. Now na.

^___^

Quote for the day:

"Bilis! Nasasayang ang puri namin sa'yo" -- nasambit ni Rose nang nagpaimportante ako at hindi ko kaagad nakanta yung parte ko sa Kung Yong Nanaisin.

Binarog ng Tubo; Success!; Bakit May Kurtina Sa Pagitan Ng Binti Ni Darna?

2005-04-11T23:22:00.000+08:00

Apparently, my blogging exercise didn't yield any fruit yesterday. I'm still lacking my creative juices. Oh well.

Sa totoo lang, gusto kong magsulat sa Tagalog kasi gusto kong gumawa ng kanta sa Tagalog. Kaya ngayon, sana ay pagtiyagaan niyo ang blog entry ko.

^___^

Wala akong makuwento. Napakaganda naman kasi ng araw na ito eh. Nagising ako ng alas-diyes ng tanghali, eh medyo masakit ang ulo ko na parang binarog ng tubo kaya natulog ako ulit. Napakagwapo ko naman kasi eh, natulog ako ng alas-tres ng umaga dahil gumagawa ako ng Noteworthy file ng Sana Maulit Muli, tapos naisip ko kinabukasan na hindi pala namin magagamit sa mga kasal yung kanta.

Kaya ayun. Tapos may magandang diwata na nagsabi sa akin ng pahapyaw na manood daw ako ng Queer Eye. Eh masunurin akong aso kaya ayun. Ang Tan-G.A. nung ni-makeover nila kanina, hindi marunong magluto ng spaghetti. Tapos ginawa pang stenographer yung jowa niya. Pero okay naman sa dulo, success na naman.

(Maiba lang, speaking of success, nakakatawa kanina, nanood ako ng National Geographic dahil sabi rin sa akin ng diwata, tapos meron akong nakitang dalawang Panda na nagmamahalan... Lam nyo na. Pagkatapos nilang gawin ang kelangan, sabi nung tagapag-alaga nilang Hapon, "It was a success! We've been waiting for that the whole day!". Ewan ko lang ha, pero kung marinig ko yun na sabihin ng nanay at tatay ko sa gabi ng honeymoon ko eh baka umurong... Lam nyo na.)

Pagkatapos nun, nag-online ako. May hinahanap akong dilag pero wala eh. Siguro tulog. Oh well. Nag-check lang naman ako ng mail, nakipag-usap kay Pashae at kay Lanie. Tapos nalaman kong di pala natuloy yung EK nina Lanie, Walter, Kelly at Joy nung sabado. Sayang naman pero buti na lang, di rin kasi ako pwede nun eh. Nagplaplano din pala ang barkada na mag-summer shebang sa Caliraya o kaya sa Puerto Galera. Pero sabi ko sa Caliraya na lang kasi walang moolah. Ewan ko ba, sana kahit minsan umulan ng pera. Kahit once lang. Tapos sana puro papel, at hindi tigpipiso, masakit yun.

^___^

Nanood nga pala ako ng sandali ng Darna kanina. Nakita ko na rin sa wakas si Angel Locsin in action. Ang masasabi ko lang ay ang mga sinabi ni Alex Anonas kanina sa YM conference namin: Ang laki! Nakakasilaw!

BTW, kanina ko pa iniisip kung bakit kelangang may puting kurtina sa pagitan ng mga binti ni Angel Locsin. Tingnan niyo ito.

At tsaka may tanong pa pala ako: kelangan pa ba talagang sumirko na parang nasa set ng Crouching Tiger para lang pumulot ng granadang itinapon sa loob ng MRT? Ewan ko lang sa mga writer at direktor ng Darna ha.

Busy busy

2005-04-10T23:21:00.000+08:00

Ano pa nga ba? Nakakaligtaan ko na namang magsulat.

Haven't been writing anything lately. Nakakairita na nga eh, I want to write but everytime I try to, I just couldn't. Like now, for example, I needed to blog for you guys to have something new to read and it took me a while to think of anything to write about...

Seriously though, I am blogging right now to exercise my hibernating brain cells, get into the groove and write some creative bullshit later tonight.

Oh well. I hope this works.

^____^

Busy week for the choir, we had almost everyday practices this past week in preparation for the ordination last saturday and the Tanging Yaman store opening in Gateway this coming saturday. Then the Pope died, so we had to squeeze in extra practices for the mass for the Pope in Gesu last thursday. Anyway, at least the Gesu mass last thursday was a success; as in we got a message from Fr. Danny saying, "Great singing!". I sure hope the Pope is quite pleased up there.

^____^

"All the world be glad! Let the sound of praise be heard!"

Sa wakas, nakaranas na rin ako ng ordinasyon ng mga pari. Nung sabado yun, kahapon, kumanta ang Canto Cinco kasama ang iba pang choirs ng Jesuit Music Ministry sa LHS, Ateneo, para sa ordination ng apat na bagong Jesuit priests. Astig yun! To sum it up, it was a great celebration: may nga sumayaw na nanood, bibong-bibo ang dating nung nag-speech na bagong pari, ganda ng kantahan, at astigin ang mga instrumentalists namin. Ganda talaga ng tunog ng isang malaking choir, pero medyo pumalpak lang kami sa various artists rendition namin ng "Kapayapaan", tanong niyo pa kay Noel Cabangon (sabi niya sa amin pagkatapos ng song eh, "Disaster 'no?" Btw, kasama din siya.)

Coolness. Sana maulit pa... At siyempre, pagdasal natin na dumami pa ang mga makasalanang sasama sa paglilingkod sa Diyos. Pagdasal nating lahat ang lahat ng kaparian at sana dumami pa sila.

^____^

I need money.

I need work.

Canto Cinco (C5)

2005-04-02T15:51:00.000+08:00

I'm proud to be part of Canto Cinco (C5) of the Jesuit Music Ministry...
May logo na kami! Ayuz!

Nood Kayo; Highschool; My Song

2005-03-25T00:01:00.000+08:00

Please watch Jesuit Communications' Lenten Presentation in Kapamilya ABSCBN on Good Friday and Black Saturday at 4-5pm, entitled "Huling Habilin" and "Huling Salita."

Both presentations will feature great singing talents such as Bituin Escalante, Rey Malipot, May Bayot, Paola Deles, Laine Santana, Noel Cabangon, VP Pinpin, Cooky Chua and will be hosted by Bo Sanchez on Friday and Bro. Nono Alfonso and Bishop Tagle on Saturday.

Invite all your friends to watch! Have a blessed Holy Week!

^___^

My sistah Vanessa graduated from high school last March 19. Wala lang...
Naging photographer lang naman ako. And although it was such a long program (Grade 6 and 4th yr yung nag-march, magkahiwalay pa yung honors for Chinese and regular students), I enjoyed the whole thing because it reminded me of my high school days.

Lalo na yung final song nila, medyo baduy, Thanks To You ba naman (Thank you... for teaching how to love...), pero ang saya nilang panoorin. Kids who really are just in the moment, having only vague ideas on what's ahead of them. My sister is a perfect example, somebody obsessed with looking good and having good times with her barkada but if you ask her what she's taking in college... she just doesn't know. Hay... can't really blame her. I was like that before... well not really. Ngayon lang naman talaga ako nagka-doubts sa kung ano ang gusto kong gawin eh.

Nakaka-miss ang highschool. Congratulate me, I'm a proud kuya. :)

^___^

I have never in my life dreamt of writing a song. Sure, I wrote poems about the wind, leaves, girls, love, and what not but not a song. I love singing, that's given, and I ocassionally like writing, and it does seem like a natural progression to go to song writing but that's just not me. Nah-uh. Nope.

So I was greatly surprised when after listening to a Jars Of Clay CD, and thinking about something (someone) to write about, that I wrote down some lines with a tune in mind and now I have a song that I've been singing non-stop for the past few days.

And to think I laid down the music to the song two days after I wrote it. And it worked. As in the song worked. And I am getting good feedback. And I feel good. I feel GREAT.

And now I have another song in the works. This one though is not exactly flowing smoothly unlike the first one but I got the music done already. I just need the lines. :)

Wish me luck!

C5... 24/7; Nakakahawa

2005-03-15T00:38:00.000+08:00

Infamous na ang kumikinang na bunbunan ni Jay-R dahil sa 24/7 campaign ng Sun Cellular. Ang galing nga naman nun, unlimited, kahit mapudpod na ang daliri mo eh hala, text lang ng text.

Pero hindi naman tungkol sa kanya ang entry na ito eh. Pake ko ba dun eh mas magaling naman akong kumanta sa kanya.

What I meant was, 24/7 na akong working for Canto Cinco (C5), our little choir over at the Jesuit Music Ministry. At nakakaadik na, as in sana may magpigil na sa akin. Feeling ko tuloy may trabaho na ako, wala nga lang kapalit na moolah.

To give you an idea of how draining it was for the past week, here is a timeline:

MONDAY: Focus Group Discussion with Bukas-Palad Music Ministry for the 1st ever annual Choir Convention event in celebration of BP's 20th(?) anniversary to be held sometime this year.

TUESDAY: Vocal training with Jomar Ferreria at the CLC Building

WEDNESDAY: Practice for the Baccalaureate Mass of the Ateneo College Graduation with members from Bukas-Palad, Hangad, ACMG, Kinema and us Canto Cinco

THURSDAY: Supposedly rest day. However, Canto Cinco sung at the UP Engineering Student Council Induction of Officers. Watched Constantine with fellow C5 members Abbey and Persia sa Metro East.

FRIDAY: Was awoken by Fr. Jboy to work on the Marian Album Concept Paper and the modules for the Liturgical Music Seminar we were going to give on the 23rd of April at Angeles, Pampanga. Spent the whole day with Abbey, Persia and Tricia at the Loyola House then off to choir practice at the CLC building. Had a very memorable "back-stabbing" activity.

SATURDAY: More work on modules and the concept paper. This time at Starbucks Libis. Still with Abbey, Persia and Tricia. Fr. Jboy treated us to dinner at Something Fishy in Eastwood. Yummy. :)

SUNDAY: Canto Cinco, together with the UP CSC sung in the 11am Student Mass at UP Diliman Parish of Holy Sacrifice. Had lunch with 14 choir members at Mang Jimmy's in Balara. Then off to Jesuit Communication, Sonolux building for a 4-hour training for the Liturgical Music Seminar. AND then, with Abbey, Persia and Precious, stayed at Starbucks Katips for another 3 hours brainstorming about Canto Cinco stuff.

Hay... adik na nga ako. At ang gastos no? But you know the best part of all this?

I'M LOVING IT. C5 24/7!

^___^

Hm.. nakakahawa ang mga lola ko dito sa bahay. Wala kasi silang ginagawa sa buong araw kundi manood, kumain, humiga at matulog eh. So ako, ganun din. Sabi nga ni Ate Henny kanina kina Lola, "Ganito na lang ba palagi? Ang boring ng buhay natin."

Rest day kasi ngayong araw na ito, well, at least from Canto Cinco work. I planned to work on my resume to make it a wee bit more shiny (you know, for more callbacks) but I guess I really wanted to rest.

I woke up at around 10:30. Spent the day pounding on my cellphone and straining my eyes in front of the TV. Wish ko lang naka-Sun ako at ang kausap ko pero hindi eh. Anyway, watched Queer Eye and the Tonight Show during lunchtime then Sabrina on HBO. Then off to dreamland for a 2-hour siesta. Spent 3-hours on the phone when I woke up at 6 (had dinner while on the phone too.) Then I worked on my resume and now, blog.

Ang sarap ba ng buhay bum? Hindi no. Boring.

Need work ASAP. You guys need a lounge singer? :p

Haberdi

2005-03-11T01:25:00.000+08:00

Ayan, salat na naman ako sa kuwento, pasensya na talaga.

Basta ang masasabi ko lang ay ano... um... ayun.

Maraming nagbabanta na pumatay sa akin.

Pero ayus lang, basta masaya. :)

^___^

Happy Birthday Rey!

Happy Birthday Rey!

Happy Birthday, Happy Birthday...

Happy Birthday Rey!

Hangin

2005-03-05T19:34:00.000+08:00

Song of the moment: Hangad - Sabay sa Ihip ng Hangin

Ihip ng hangin, pakinggan Mo't
Iyong maririnig: awit ng pag-ibig alay ko sa 'Yo lamang

Kahit na ilang ulit Mo nang narinig
sana'y pansinin ang tinig kong umaawit ng kundiman,
ang puso kong sabik sa 'Yong kandungan.
Iyo sanang pakadinggin aking panalangin

na kahit ako ay maligaw sa 'Yo ay mabalik,
sabay sa ihip ng hangin.
Tangi kong ligaya'y makapiling Ka.

(Ang tangi kong ligaya ay Ikaw, Kapiling Ka)

Kahit na ilang ulit Mo nang narinig
sana'y pansinin ang tinig kong umaawit ng kundiman,
ang puso kong sabik sa 'Yong kandungan.
Iyo sanang pakadinggin aking panalangin
na kahit ako ay maligaw sa 'Yo ay mabalik,
sabay sa ihip ng hangin.

Kailan kaya ang susunod na hanging darating?

^___^

Kailan nga ba ang susunod na hanging darating?
Ito na ba iyon?

Post-script... C2 Addict; Magandang Dilag

2005-03-03T19:17:00.000+08:00

Addict na ako sa C2 Cool & Clean.
Ewan ko ba.
Noon naman eh hindi talga ako fan ng green tea.
Naalala ko pa nga noon, magkasama kami ni Kika tapos bumili kami ng FIC.
Green tea flavor para maiba, trip lang bang tikman.
But no, unang dila ko pa lang sa kulay kulangot na icecream eh ayaw ko na. Yaw to talaga.
Tapos dumating ang C2 Cool & Clean.
Para lang namng tubig na may lasa, 'yung tipong tea bag na naka-tatlong lublob na sa hot water.
Pero trip ko, Cool & Clean daw eh.
Very refreshing.
Naimpluwensiyahan ko na nga ang sistah ko sa pag-inom ng C2.
'Di na rin ito nawawala sa ref namin sa Lucena.
Kayo rin, inom na.

TAPOS

Pahabol na Salita (P.S.) - nung bday ni Meian, bumili ako ulit ng FIC green tea flavor. Para maiba ulit, trip lang bang tikman muli. Ayun, hindi naman pala ganun ka horrendous sa panlasa. Although hindi lasang C2. C2 pa rin.

^____^

Speaking of Meian's Bday, eto na yung pic na pinangako kong ipakikita ko. Behold, ang magandang dilag na may kutis labanos (pang-sinigang!) Heps! Peace tayo Meian, hindi ako ang nagsabi nun.

Batting Eyelashes; Ministop; Naghihintay

2005-03-03T19:10:00.000+08:00

I am mesmerized
rendered speechless by your probing eyes
It only takes a flutter
the batting of your eyelashes
the movements of your eyelids
to send me reeling in confusion
in awe and in wonder

^___^

Nandito ako ngayon sa Ministop
naghihintay at nagsusulat.
Sayang wala akong laptop, parang ang sarap mag-blog.
Kakaiba talaga 'tong Ministop.
Ang liwanag, sobrang inviting.
Tapos pagpasok mo sa loob, ang welcoming ng pakiramdam.
'Di gaya sa 7-11 na parang sobrang madumi at crowded.
Ang sarap pa ng pagkain! Kariman Chicken Teriyaki is the best!
Agree talaga ako dito kay Marco, there's something about that yellow, blue, black and white logo that is quite irresistible.

^___^

Sabi ko nga.
Naghihintay ako sa'yo.
Bakit ngayon ka lang dumating?

TAPOS

Makamandag; Luna; Belated Haberdi Meian :) ; Swak!; Pakikiramay

2005-02-28T16:04:00.000+08:00

Patawad po sa lahat ng sumusubaybay sa aking munting tahanan. Salat po ako sa kuwento (pero sa totoo hindi, tinatamad lang) at medyo nawalan ng momentum simula nung masira 'yung modem ko (na ayos na ngayon... ayuz).

Pansin kong dumami ang bisita ko. Ewan ko ba sa inyo, sabi nga ni Persia, kahit daw ganito ako matinik daw ako. Makamandag. Pero malamang hindi iyon ang dahilan kung bakit madami akong bisita ano? Hindi? Hindi nga?

Sus ko. Paramdam naman po kayo, may comments naman tsaka Tagboard dyan sa tabi. Sige na, dumadami nga ang numero ng counter ko, wala namang nagpaparamdam.

^___^

Speaking of pagpaparamdam, napansin niyo ba yung buwan nung mga nakaraang araw? Wala lang... kakaiba ano? Bilog na bilog, tapos kulay orange, tapos ang laki-laki. Dinudugo yata ang diyosang si Luna.

Nung mga panahong nagbabadya ang buwan, maraming kakaibang nangyari. Doon sa CLC, si Precious eh nakaramdam ng mga nagpaparamdam. Yung mataray na Volvo ni Abbey, nagre-recline mag-isa ang upuan. Tapos may nakita pa raw na anino si Precious sa pagitan ng anino ng mga gulong nung Volvo na dapat hindi naman nandun. Yan tuloy, nag-freak out si Herbie.

Ewan ko ba sa mga taong ito. Kung anu-ano ang nararamdaman.

^___^

Nag-birthday nga pala si Meian nung February 24. At siyempre hindi ko siya nagawan ng Photoshop-ped thingie dito sa blog ko. Di bale, sa susunod na post, mag-upload ako ng pic featuring her pang-debut flowers na binili pa ni Tricia sa kung saang lugar na dapat twelve roses pero eleven na lang dahil kinain ni Crismar ang isa. Tapos makikita niyo rin ang pang-sinigang na kutis (kutis labanos, according to Ryan Barsolaso) ni Meian.

Peace po Meian. Labshu. Belated Happy Birthday. :)

^___^

Tuwa nga pala ako at binigyan ako ni Fr. Jboy ng isang song nakakantahin na swak sa boses ko. Ito po ay ang Sa Ihip ng Hangin na kasama sa album na Hangad! Acappella na kinanta ng Hangad (obviously).

By the way, congratulations to Hangad for releasing their newest album, The Easter Journey. You can view the press release here.

Mabuhay ang Jesuit Music Ministry!

^___^

Nakikiramay po ako sa mga iniwan ng kanilang mahal sa buhay sa nakalipas na linggong ito. Kay Alva , Jonar, Audrey, Flo at Mabelle, ang mga panalangin ko ay inaalay ko sa inyo at sa inyong mga kapamilya.

Phantom of Starbucks Katips

2005-02-17T23:59:00.000+08:00

Wah! Ang crude. Sana magustuhan mo Abbey. Sana din gumaling ako sa Photoshop. Salamat sa libre. :)

Mainit Ang Ulo Ko Part 2; Happy Heart's Day!

2005-02-14T18:09:00.000+08:00

Hay... kasasabi ko lang na "I love my Lola" sa last entry ko pero kahapon naman eh napuno na ako.

Oh well, sa mga tuliro na sa oras, kahapon ay Linggo at Valentine's Mass sa UP Chapel ng 11am. Siyempre, dala ko sina Mama at Papa at pinagsuot ko rin sila ng pula. Bakit pula at hindi itim ng gaya ng sabi ko dati? Kasi etong si Fr Jboy eh may pakulo na naman: Lahat daw ng nagmamahal ay dapat nakapula at may blessing ng couples (both married and soon-to-be one) kaya ayun. Nakapula kaming lahat.

Nakakatuwang maraming nagmamahal ng araw na iyon dahil ang daming nagsimbang nakapula. At napaka-sweet pagmasdan ng mga mag-asawa at magkasintahan; sa choir nga namin eh nakapula din si Celina tas yung BF nya. Tapos etong si Victor naman, may dala pang flowers para sa GF nya! Hay... pag-ibig. Sige na nga, sana pag sinuwag kayo ng toro, slight lang ang maramdaman niyong pain.

Anyway, hindi ito ang dahilan kung bakit mainit ang ulo ko kahapon eh. Si Lola kasi, tatlong araw na akong hindi tinatantanang sabihan na umuwi naman daw ako ng maaga. Tapos ok lang sana kung sa akin lang eh, makakaya ko; but no, lahat na yata ng kamag-anak namin eh alam na hindi siya nakakatulog dahil hindi ako umuuwi ng maaga pag gabi. E nagkataon lang naman yun isang gabi napaaga siya ng tulog (mga 6pm yata) tapos nagising siya sa gabi tapos narinig niya akong dumating, at isang beses lang yun nangyari this week (the next day, maaga na akong umuwi and the day after, hindi na ako umalis ng bahay), pero hindi e, the next three days eh yun na lang ang bukang-bibig niya na parang wala na akong ginawang ibang mabuti...

Pero may valid reason naman ako. Talaga namang 8pm to sawa ang rehearsals namin. Tapos pag ginagabi naman ako, hinahatid naman ako ng kotse. But no, sabi ni Lola, kahit na daw, marami daw kasi siyang napapanood na nadidisgrasya dahil sa bilis ng pagmaneho and all that. Gusto ko ngang sabihin na most naman ng napapanood niya eh sa Highway nangyayari at hindi sa Aurora Blvd, tapos hihiritan ko na rin sana ng, "Lola, VOLVO ang naghahatid sa akin. World's safest car", pero baka masampal lang ako non at palayasin. Come to think of it, gusto na rin yata niya akong pauwiin ng Lucena City dahil nga hindi siya makatulog; kung puwede lang talagang umuwi, gagawin ko, kung mabibitbit ko lang ang choir and all, pero wala siyang kasama kundi si Ate at ang mga residente naming ipis kaya ayaw ko rin naman umuwi.

Hay... naiintindihan ko naman si Lola eh. Nung college kasi ako, 7pm pa lang nasa bahay na ako. Kung gabihin man ako nun, hindi araw-araw, minsanan lang sa isang buwan. So siguro hindi lang niya maintindihan kung bakit hindi pwedeng hindi ako uuwi ng maaga.

Oh well, I still love my Lola. Kaninang umaga, hinalikan ko siya at binati ng "Happy Heart's Day" at kita naman sa mukha niya na masaya siya. At inihiram ko pa siya ng Mga Munting Tinig para may mapanood siya kaya't naaliw naman siya ngayong hapon. Pero siyempre wala na naman ako ng bahay ngayon...

Promise, uuwi ako ng maaga.

X___X

Baka mapunta kayo sa UP Diliman tonight, simula na ng UP Fair. Rakenrol na naman 'to magdamag!

Pero pupunta lang naman kami dun ng mga kaibigan ko kasi wala kaming mga date ngayong Valentine's Day (HuHuHu... Ang puso kong sawi). At uuwi ako ng maaga. Bah! Ayaw ko namang mapalayas ng Lola.

So sa mga walang date, kitakits!

At sa mga meron: suwagin sana kayo ng toro! Pwede ring Tamaraw FX o kaya Revo.

JoKe lang po. Magmahalan tayong lahat. =)

HAPPY HEART'S DAY!!!

Sa uulitin... Kiss niyo ko. =P

Mainit Ang Ulo Ko; I Love My Lola :)

2005-02-12T00:25:00.000+08:00

Kakarating ko lang galing practice. For some reason mainit ang ulo ko. Siguro dahil na rin sa pagkanta ng nakakakabag na "Silang Nabubuhay Sa Mundo" na sinulat ni Levi Celerio. Pero hindi eh...

Nagpagupit ako today. Actually gusto ko ang gupit ko eh. Mukha akong tao at hindi aso o oso. Tapos ang bait-bait pa ng barbero ko, si Mang Ramon, nagpa-shave pa ako pagkatapos. Pero for some reason, I needed reassurance na okay nga talaga ang gupit ko. Pero hindi eh, sabi ni Fr. Jboy eh ang pangit daw ng gupit ko. Tapos 'pag tinanong mo naman ang mga katabi mo eh sasabihin nilang, "Okay lang. Fishing ka..." Bwiset, ang plastic.

Tapos eto pang mga kasama ko araw-araw eh hindi na mapigil ang pang-aapi sa akin. Hindi naman ako pikuning bata eh, sa totoo lang patience is my best virtue, pero kung sa gabi-gabi na lang na ginawa ng Diyos eh relentless na inaasar ka nila tapos may magsasabi pa sa'yong ang pangit ng gupit mo tapos kinakabag ka na sa kakahinga at pakiramdam mo eh sumama na ang kaluluwa mo sa pagbirit sa pagkanta eh ewan ko lang kung hindi talaga iinit ang ulo mo.

Hay... kung hindi ko lang mahal itong mga kaibigan kong ito eh isinumpa ko na sila na sana lalo pang lumaki ang mga "assets" nila nang hindi na sila makapaglakad ng pantay.

Umbagan na ito.

X___X

Papaalis na ulit papuntang Singapore sina Tita Rose and family bukas. Kailangan ko na ulit i-condition ang sarili ko na wala na naman akong makakain sa mga susunod na linggo.

Ang sama ko ba? Sana hindi. Nakakaaliw lang kasi na kapag nandito sina Tita sa bahay eh laging puno ang ref. Siguradong meron kang makakain. Eh nung wala sina Tita rito eh araw araw na isda at de lata ang ulam ko. Tapos nung minsan pang lumabas ako ng umaga para pumunta ng Makati for an exam, sabi ko kay Ate na uuwi ako ng tanghali para makatipid. Tapos sabi ba naman eh wala daw siyang lulutuin para sa akin... so yun. Nag-Yoshinoya ako sa Megamall.

Shet. Ang hirap talaga ng magastos na matakaw tapos wala kang trabaho.

Pero huwag ka, mahal na mahal ko ang mga kasama ko sa bahay, all five of them: si Lola, si Ate Henny at ang mga kasambahay naming hayuff na sina Joey, yung aso namin, Fishy, yung asexual kong isda at yung pusa naming inampon na mahilig mag-decapitate ng mga daga. Wala pa siyang pangalan pero Miming na lang muna sa ngayon.

Kwento lang ako tungkol kay Lola: alam niyo si Lola puro na lang panonood ng drama, pera, at kamatayan ang bukang bibig niya, pero nagagalit yan 'pag hindi ako nag-aalmusal at natutuwa ng sobra-sobra 'pag nagkukuwento ako tungkol sa mga raket ko na kumita ako ng pera. Tapos hindi 'yan nakakatulog sa gabi 'pag di pa ako dumarating dahil sa sobrang pag-aalala. Ganun niya kami kamahal; at eto pa, lahat ng birthday at anniversaries ng mga anak at apo niya eh naaalala pa niya.

Magna-ninety years old na si Lola sa Mayo. I love my Lola. :)

Kanina

2005-02-12T00:10:00.000+08:00

Nakaka-miss na tumingala at pagmasdan ang langit.
Kumpara sa pagyuko na puro paa mo lang ang makikita mo na nag-uunahang makarating sa hindi mo alam kung saan...

Haha. Nawala ang train of thought ko. Bwiset.

Nakadungaw ako sa bintana ngayon (actually, dungaw is the wrong term kasi nasa loob ako talaga ng 3rd floor CLC Bldg dito sa Ateneo, nagsusulat sa table at pinapanood ang napag-iwanan ng lumubog na araw.) Ang hirap isulat ng nakikita ko. Basta mula sa vantage point ko e nakikita ko ang mga dahon sa taas ng puno na kakaiba ang kulay sa nasa ibabang bahagi kasi overexposed na sila sa araw. At sa medyo malayo, kita ko ang kung ano pa mang natirang liwanag ng araw na naghahati sa langit sa dalawang bahagi: isang kulay orange at isang kulay blue na unti-unting nagiging purple. Nakakatuwang parang nag-aagawan ang liwanag at dilim... Hindi ko lubos maisip na nandito ako, isang taong takot sa pagbabago, at sa mga oras na ito e gandang-ganda ako sa pagbabago ng langit na pinapanood ko.

Hay... Sabi nga ni Sara, change is good. Change is my friend. Or something to that effect. Sorry Sara, bulok lang talaga ang memory ko.

^___^

Magkahalong pait at tamis pala ang malalasahan mo kapag nangungulila ka sa taong pinili mong iwanan. Parang sex na magkahalong hirap at sarap. (Edit: actually, nung una kong sinulat 'to kanina, may nakasulat pang "double-edged knife" pero hindi swak eh kaya di ko na lang sinama.)

Pero kailangan ito, itong pangungulila... Maaalala mo lahat ng pinagsamahan niyo, lahat ng away at kilig moments, pati yung wala lang moments na magkasama kayo precisely because magkasama kayo. At siyempre makikita mo ang lahat ng bagay na akala mo eh tama na ginawa mo pati na rin ang lahat ng bagay na akala mo naman ay hindi mo dapat ginawa. Puro akala 'no? Ano ba naman talaga ang batayan ng pagiging tama o mali ng ginawa mo kundi ang naging resulta at epekto nito sa kanya at sa lahat ng nasa paligid niya? Di ba?

Tapos.

02112004; 6:38PM

(Edit: I wonder kung merong salita para sa eksaktong oras na naramdaman mo ang sakit at sarap ng magkasabay?)
(Edit ulit: Ay shit. Alam ko na. :D)

Suwagin Man Ako Ng Toro; Presto! 300 Agad; Truly Single; Pang-nginig 'To Pare; Adik; Lucky Color

2005-02-09T14:24:00.000+08:00

Sira ang modem ko... Alam niyo ba 'yon?

Siyempre hindi. Hindi rin naman kasi obvious. Gaano ba naman kasi ako kadalas mag-update ng aking blog 'di ba? Gaano ba kadalas ang minsan?

Kaya eto, nakikigamit ng free net ng Tita ko. Buti na lang taga-P&G siya at libre 'to! Isinusumpa ko, mararating ko rin ang narating ni Tita pagdating ng panahon.

Suwagin man ako ng toro.

^___^

While you would probably expect me to be moping from the lack of companies that call me for a job, on the contrary, I already feel like I have a job... And on top of that, I am having so much fun.

Ikaw ba naman na araw-araw lumalabas ng bahay para gumawa ng choir stuff like modules for Liturgical Music Seminars, or hang out with 3 other bums then off to choir practice that lasts until 10 in the evening... Tapos kape!

Ewan ko ba. Kahit ang dami ng trabaho sa choir na ito, masaya ako. It's just something that I really love to do and the people here are some of the warmest, fun-loving, God-fearing and dedicated people I've known.

Pero mataas din naman ang pangarap ko. Hindi naman hanggang sa umalis ako papuntang US sa August eh etong pagkanta na lang ang gagawin ko. Kaya nga naghahanap ng trabaho eh. Kahapon nga, nagturo ako sa isang tutee ni Persia. At presto! 300 agad. Pero sus ko, hindi ako mapakali kagabi at walang alam yung bata! Harinawa naman ay pumasa siya sa Aptitude test niya ngayong araw na ito.

Hay... Sana makanahanap ako ng trabaho! Sana tumawag na ang URC, Canon, P&G, Unilever, o kahit si Elbert!

In the meantime... Kanta na lang muna.

Happiness. :)

^___^

Today is Ash Wednesday.

And a few more days from now is Heart's Day.

It will quite a different Heart's Day for me. This time around I would be truly celebrating it as a single.

But then again, I have Abbey, Persia and Precious to spend the day with jeering at obnoxiously irritating couples in red so it probably won't be so bad. Besides, maraming nagmamahal sa akin (or so I believe).

^___^

Puntahan niyo 'tong blog ni Marco.

May freakingly scary ghost photos na kinuha in some old house in some old province here in the Philippines.

Pang-nginig 'to pare. Puntahan niyo na.

^___^

Adik na naman ako sa PS2. Kapag wala ka nga namang internet at wala ka talagang magawa, tatlo lang naman ang gagawin mo na hindi na nangangailangan ng katakutakot na lakas at pag-iisip: matulog, kumain at manood ng TV.

Sa case ko, maglaro ng PS2. At eto ang pinagsasabay-sabay kong laruin sa mga panahong ito:

Suikoden IV - Isang pagbabalik sa mundo ng Suikoden, at ngayon naman eh sa dagat gaganapin ang malaking parte ng kuwento. Puno pa rin ng nakakalula sa dami na 108 recruitable characters at hitik pa rin sa pulitika at drama. Medyo boring at mabagal lang compared sa Suikoden III pero ok na rin. Basta nandyan si Jeane.

Megaman X: Command Mission - RPG na si X at Zero ang bida. Surprisingly, parang Suikoden ang premise ng kwento: nag-alsa ang mga Reploids sa pamumuno ni Epsilon at nasa kamay nina X at ng mga Resistance forces na pigilan ang Rebellion Army. Kakaiba sa nakasanayan niyong Megaman; turn-based battles ala Final Fantasy X at mission-based pero linear. Acquired taste.

The Lord of The Rings: The Third Age - RPG pa rin. Obviously tungkol sa Lord of the Rings pero sa halip na si Aragorn, Gimli, Legolas at Gandalf ang characters mo, eh mga wannabes na walang personality ang kamalas-malasang magagamit mo. Ang premise eh meron daw isang party (kayo yon) na sumusunod sa Fellowship habang sila'y papuntang Mordor. Wannabes talaga. Pirated. Pirated na nga 'tong DVD na 'to, pirated pa rin ang characters mo. Pero in fairness maganda ang graphics, at makakalaban mo yung Balrog sa Moira na ubod ng hirap sugpuin. Clone ng Final Fantasy X ang battle system.

Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time - Late na ako sa hype. Powtah, ito na ang pinakamagandang game na nakita at nalaro ko sa PS2. Ginanap sa India ang kwento, may mahika, buhangin, palasyo, mga kalabang nakakabwisit sa talino at puno ng Matrix style moves. Lahat ng kayang gawin ni Lara Croft ay magagawa niya (pwera na lang ang manganak) at lamang pa siya dahil kaya niyang maglakad sa dingding. May lahing unggoy ang Prince na ito. Pero ok lang, da best pa rin! Sana matapos ko na 'to.

Sabi ko nga. Adik na naman ako sa PS2.

^___^

O siya, sa susunod na lang ulit.

Tandaan, 'wag magpapasuwag sa toro. Kaya sa Heart's Day, ang lucky color ay itim, habang ang lucky number ay 11. Iwasan ang mga bukid at zoo.

woofy

On Recollections and Jobs

2005-01-31T16:36:00.000+08:00

It's been a while.

Last sunday, Canto Cinco (our choir) had a recollection at the CLC in Ateneo after our mass at UP. I just have to say that people are beginning to notice how different the 11am mass at the UP Parish is because there were so many people. As in the whole church was quite full (which was not usually the case when we sing there). And the church did something about the sound system... as in we suddenly sounded REALLY GOOD. Hehe. Sabi ni nga ni Jomar, yung vocal trainor namin from PHSA, "PRACTICE MAKES PERMANENT."

Anyway, during the recollection, we were asked to reflect on our broken spirit and to pray for renewal... for a new heart. And during the meditation, I realized that I have been far too careless with my friendships, the people I trust and the people I love. So when Fr. Jboy asked us what kind of heart we wanted, I told the group I wanted a heart that is open. One with no barriers, rather than the one-way mirror that I have for a heart. One that is transparent and true.

**&**

Enough about hearts. Baka kasi ayaw niyo nang magbasa ulit, sabihin niyo ang baduy kong tao.

Let's talk about jobs and job hunting. Today I experienced my first official job interview... well, first official INITIAL interview. All I can say is that it was quite a nerve-racking experience... especially when the interviewer is SO cute. :) Hay... But I do think I won't get a call back. The job requires me to be willing to work in Sta. Rosa and I just can't because I have my Lola and the Canto Cinco to tend to.

Tomorrow, I have an exam with Petron; another company that would probably require me to work outside Manila. Hay... Oh well. Sayang naman kung di ko puntahan. I just wish I would get a call from either Canon, or URC; if that happens then I would probably be really happy... unless Procter and Gamble calls. Now when THAT happens, and I get accepted... Manlilibre ako. :)

**&**

Song of the Moment: Rivermaya - You'll Be Safe Here

Nobody knows
Just why we’re here
Could it be fate
Or random circumstance
At the right place
At the right time
Two roads intertwine

And if the universe conspired
To meld our lives
To make us
Fuel and fire
Then know
Where ever you will be
So too shall I be

Chorus:

Close your eyes
Dry your tears
‘Coz when nothing seems clear
You’ll be safe here

From the sheer weight
Of your doubts and fears
Weary heart
You’ll be safe here

Remember how we laughed
Until we cried
At the most stupid things
Like we were so high
But love was all that we were on
We belong

And though the world would
Never understand
This unlikely union
And why it still stands
Someday we will be set free.
Pray and believe

Chorus:

When the light disappears
And when this world’s insincere
You’ll be safe here
When nobody hears you scream
I’ll scream with you
You’ll be safe here

Save your eyes
From your tears
When everything’s unclear
You’ll be safe here

From the sheer weight
Of your doubts and fears
Wounded heart

When the light disappears
And when this world’s insincere
You’ll be safe here

When nobody hears you scream
I’ll scream with you
You’ll be safe here

In my arms
Through the long cold night
Sleep tight
You’ll be safe here

When no one understands
I’ll believe
You’ll be safe,
You’ll be safe
You’ll be safe here
Put your heart in my hands
You’ll be safe here

Oh Yes... It's My Birthday

2005-01-19T03:08:00.000+08:00

It is funny that I find myself right here in front of my desktop PC trying to write something about the year that passed. I think I have never done this before; looking back at what happened and thinking about what is in store for me.

But I guess right now, I am doing this because I feel like I am on a crossroad and I don't know where to go. Frankly, I just want to have one last look before I head out into whatever God has in store for me.

My 21st year was a blast, academic-wise. It was my last year in college, and thankfully I graduated despite being totally unsure of what I'd really like to do or if I really want to pursue Chemical Engineering after school. Even with the imminent plan of going to the US and the ever-increasing desire to go to medical school, I took the licensure exams (as a security blanket if things don't work out in the US) and now I am a Registered Chemical Engineer. That was just the icing on the cake, and I am really happy that I made my parents and everybody around me so proud.

This past year was also a good year for me and music. Music is my passion and God has blessed me with the opportunity to serve Him through singing. Not only that but He has also blessed me with new friends; these wonderful people at Canto Cinco that I can always look up to for strength and inspiration. And on top of all that, I will finally be able to fulfill my dream: to record an album. This is definitely that one ride of my life that I will never forget.

It is amazing how God has given me a lot this year when I, on the other hand, had been giving so little to the ones I love. I can say that my 21st year was not a good year for relationships; I had been very unfaithful and careless with Kika and I am definitely not proud of the things I did and the pain I've caused her and all the other people involved. But then, I am enjoying all these new experiences and friendships that I've gained and I thank God for all these, especially now that things are working out well with me and Kix...

Still, I am happy of how my life is going right now. I may not know what I really want to do, what road to take, or what dream to pursue, but if all these blessings are indications of how God is closely paying attention then I am definitely looking forward to everything my 22nd year has to offer.

Engr. Woofy

On Slumber Days and Health Consciousness

2005-01-17T23:25:00.000+08:00

Today was one of those slumber days... just me, my blanket and my really stiff bed.

Not that everyday is not a slumber day for me. Being a bum comes with all the luxuries that most unemployed graduates get: the bed, the pillow, the blanket, the TV, the couch and the glorious food. You wake up with the lunch already served, you turn on the TV, you watch snakes eat mice on Discovery while you munch on whatever edible stuff is in the ref, and before you know it, balita na sa Channel 2.

This morning would have been one of those regular bum days except that it was really cold. For some reason, God has turned up the air-conditioning to Economy Cool and forgot to turn it off. I woke up with a runny nose, and come to think of it, my nose hurts from all that sneezing and trying to hold back the sneezing. I so wished my nose literally ran today. And if it did, I hope it comes back tomorrow, alive and kicking, ready and healthy for the rehearsals...

Which I am so desperately excited for. Anything that can make me get out of the house that does not involve me sweating and running...

Which I find really weird. I mean, I know I lost weight ever since after the licensure exams. And I know I have to do something to maintain and perhaps tone this flabby internet-surfer dude body of mine. But I feel really awkward when people see me exercising. Until now, I haven't figured out why I am so conscious about being health conscious...

Gah! Oh well, maybe I am just so damn lazy. Still, I would do something about this health consciousness problem of mine. I swear on the grave (that is a pile of leaves) of Bobong the Salagubang I adopted one fateful day.

woofy

I'm back...

2005-01-17T03:21:00.000+08:00

This will be how my bahay-aso would temporarily look like.
I'm now really planning to vacate my beloved home but still...
We'll see.

Anyway, I'm back. And for lack of anything to write about, click this

Bye!

woofster

fiction: untitled

2004-09-30T03:07:00.000+08:00

"Shit!"

The sound of a shattering figure of a dog lifting a barbell startled Josh as he shook his fist as if to fan away the pain he deliberately caused.

"Oh fuck. Kelly will kill me"

Josh stared at the screen once more paying little attention to the pieces of ceramics on the floor. A few minutes ago, he was just chatting with Leslie, a girl he had known since high school. He planned to save the conversation as a text file as he always did whenever he happened to chat with her, but this time, the instant messaging software he was using suddenly had an error and Josh could only open his mouth in shock as the program closed the down the chat window abruptly.

Something stirred in Josh' mind as he was staring at his desktop wallpaper that he suddenly stood up and walked over hurriedly to the study desk directly across the room

"Paper, paper..." thought Josh as he searched through the organized chaos that is his study desk. He found what he was searching for: a copy of the programme for the recently concluded Engineering Graduation. "This will do.", Josh said to himself as he walked back to his computer. He then hastily grabbed a pen from the Pringles container turned pen holder, knocking over another one of her sister's prized Polgas figurines. This time though, Josh was fast enough to prevent the statuette from shattering to pieces.

With a sigh and a swipe of the back of his hand on his forehead, Josh focused his thoughts and put down his pen on the slightly crumpled programme.

(to be continued???)

sulat: kubori fanfic

2004-09-14T01:58:00.000+08:00

i'm currently experiencing a drought. i had some ideas floating around in my head but i couldn't find the words... so in the mean time, let me post this crudely written Kubori Kikiam fanfic i did some months ago which i had loads of fun writing.

and no, i don't have plans continuing this cliffhanger. or altering it to make it more... presentable.

bahala na kayo.

pardon the profanity, pornography, and really stupid sentence construction. and also the acronyms. and i don't have anything against the UP Paranormal Society... please don't sue me.

Kubori Kikiam, Manny, Benjo and Dodon are properties of its creators and were used with permission (yeah right) from Michael David. Everything else is mine... i think.

***

Kubori Kikiam: Nginig Files
"Maitim na Aura"

Nang minsang napagawi ang ating mga bida sa UP (Unibersidad ng Pila) ...

"Oy Benjo, nagugutom na ko. Nasan na ba tayo? Akala ko ba maraming nakapilang babae at pagkain dito eh ilang oras na tayong naglalakad eh--"

"Tangina Manny, tumahimik ka nga. Eto na o, malapit na tayo sa pagkain... ayun oh, ang daming taong lumalabas ng CASAA" ang sagot ni Dodon na nagtutulo na ang laway at pawis dahil sa gutom at init. Mga ilang oras na rin silang naglalakad sa AS Walk (A-ngdaming S-tudents) habang naninilip sa mga nagdadaang freshies.

"Tama! Pero huminahon ka ng konti Dodon... eyng? Ohmigulay, ayun o PINK!!" ang bulalas ni Benjo sabay turo sa itaas.

Tamang-tama ay may dumaan na pasalungat na tatlong babaeng animo may maitim na balak sa kanilang utak (kasi ang aura nila ay maitim!) at minamata nila ang tatlo nating bida. Hindi ito na-sense ng mga kikiam dahil tamang-tama namang may dumaan na naka-miniskirt sa kanilang ibabaw at alam na natin kung saan sila nakatingin... lingid sa kaalaman ng mga ito na taga Babaylan ang naka-miniskirt na yun.

"Ay! Nahulog ko yung bolpen ko! Wait lang guys."

Sa isang iglap ay nararamdaman na lang ni Benjo na lumilipad sya...

"Huh? Bakit ganito... wait... I'm flying! I'm flying!", sigaw ni Benjo habang nakapikit at umaagos ang luha sa mata...

Natauhan si Benjo na parang may gumuhit na liwanag sa kanyang utak. Nagulat kasi siya nang tumambad sa kanyang paningin ang nagpupumiglas na dibdib ng isang babaeng nakablusang itim at maya-maya lang ay natanaw na nya ang isang mukhang may nakakatakot na ngiti at madilim na balak sa mata...

Saka lang namalayan ni Benjo na siya pala ay napulot na ng isang babaeng maitim ang aura! Ang cute pa man din, kamukha ni Sadako nung di pa sya nalulunod sa balon!

"Bitawan mo ako! Sino ka ba? Wag mo kong kainin! Di ako kikiam, tae ako!", ang bulalas ni Benjo habang nagpupumiglas na parang buhay na... um... kamote.

Ngumiti lang ang babae sa kanya. Ooooh... scary. Waring may nakita ang babae sa gilid ng mata nito kung kaya't yumuko ulit ito na halos tumuwad na...

Dahil hindi naman ganun katanga si Benjo, naisip nyang wala na syang magagawa at tumigil na sa kakapiglas... hahayaan na lang nya ang buhay nya sa kamay ng babaeng tatawagin nya sa pangalang Samara.

At sa pagtuwad ni Samara, nakita na naman ni Benjo ang nagpupumiglas na waring mga buhay na... melon, at bigla nyang naisip ang kanyang dalawang kasama. Tama ang hinala nya; pagkatapos ng ilang segundong pagpipigil sa pagtingin sa kanyang harap ay nakita nya ang Manny at Benjo sa may likuran ni Samara na agos laway at luha na sa kakatitig sa maumbok na puwit ni Samara, na ang tanging tumatakip lang ay puting panty na may pattern na... itim na bungo. *kidlat!*

"Hoy, Lucy! Nakita mo na ba yung bolpen mo? Tara na bilisan mo, may genmeet pa tayo!"

"Nandyan na ko Vizzy!" ang sagot ni Samara na ngayo'y Lucy pala.

Nagtatakbo si Lucy papunta kay Vizzy at sa pagmamadali ay may nahulog na flier mula sa bag ni Lucy. Eto namang si Benjo ay kahit na alanganin na ang kahihinatnan ng kanyang buhay ay taimtim namang nagdarasal ng pasasalamat para sa nagba-bounce na tanawin na kanyang nakikita sa mga minutong iyon...

Samantala, mga ilang minuto ring nakatanga sa kawalan si Manny at Dodon ng maalala ni Manny na nagugutom nga pala sya.

"Wow. Hanep yon, ang bilog-bilog! Benjo, tara kain na tayo... Benjo?"

Nagpaikot-ikot si Manny sa kakahanap kay Benjo na parang nagsasayaw na... marshmallow, habang si Dodon ay nakatanga pa rin sa kawalan...

"Ang bilog... pakwan... yum! *slurp*", ang binabanggit ni Dodon habang parang asterisk ang mata at naglalaway... *Whapakk!*

"AY PUTANGINA!!! Sinong sumapok?!? Sinong sumapok?!?... powtah", ang nagitlang sigaw ni Dodon habang hinuhugot ang kanyang sandata...

Kinalabit ni Manny si Dodon.

"Hindi ako ang sumapok... pero nawawala si Benjo. Nasa kanya ang pera, pano na tayo kakain?"

"Hah? Tangina, malaking problema to...teka anhin natin ang pera", ang sabi ni Dodon na hinihimas ang ulo.

Sinuri ni Dodon ang paligid. Habang inililingon nya ang kanyang ulo ay ginagalugad nya ang pinakamalalim na dulo ng kanyang utak para sa alaala ng nakalipas na kinse minutos...

Nakita ni Dodon sa gilid ng kanyang mata ang flier na nahulog mula sa bag ni Lucy. "Hmm... wala iyon kanina.", naisip ni Dodon. Pinuntahan nya ito at ito ang kanyang nabasa:

Ikaw ba ay ginagambala ng masasamang pangitain sa tuwing sasapit ang dilim? Ikaw ba ay nakakakita ng mga bagay na nagdudulot ng bangungot? Kung gayon, halina't sumali sa Paranormal Association, orientation mamayang 7pm sa PH111... magdala ng belo, rosaryo at isang kwintas ng sampaguita. Hanapin si Lucy, Vizzy or Mindy. Tara na... gumagabi na.

"Tanginang haba ng flier na to... Manny, san ka na?"

"Dodon, subukan mo to mukhang masarap... alam mo na kung saan si Benjo?", ang tanong ni Manny na lumalapit tangan ang isang gagambang Chem-Pav

"Oo. Dito, sa rm 111 mamayang 7pm. Malakas ang kutob ko.", ang matigas na sagot ni Dodon...

"Pano mo naman nasabi na nandyan nga siya mamaya... *ngasab!*", tanong obviously ni Manny.

Kaunting katahimikan... waring nagdidilim ang paligid at umiihip ang hangin...

"Kasi... naramdaman ko... ang maitim na aura sa flier na ito." ,ang pabulong na sagot ni Dodon na namumuti at nanlilisik ang mata...

Tanging ang nguya lamang ni Manny ang bumasag sa katahimikang nanaig...

notes: special theory of relativity

2004-09-12T01:36:00.000+08:00

according to Einstein's special theory of relativity, as an observer travels near the speed of light, time is slowed down and to him, everything would be stationary, like a time slice, a still picture viewed in 3d. if we were observing that speeding observer, we would probably not see him or he would be distorted to us since the length or dimensions of an object would be compressed as it accelerates to the speed of light.

this Create-a-new-post window has been open for at least thirty minutes now and so far i have written so few. it was like time flew by so fast...

what if someone witnessed how time flew as i was sitting here idly wasting away? that does mean that the witness is travelling really slow to the point that i seem to be travelling really fast and would that observer be able to see me when my body should be compressed?

that doesn't make sense right?

i wonder if there is a world where everything is so slow that if i look at our world from there, our world would seem so fast...

***

whenever i think about the upcoming licensure exams, the sense of urgency (or lack of it) drives me nuts. for the past two weeks, i haven't studied a thing and i don't know if i should be panicking or i should just shrug it off thinking there is still plenty of time.

is sixty days plenty of time? when is time plenty and when is it so few when tomorrow i might die while i am riding a bus to the review center? but what if i don't die tomorrow?

forget about that. the fact that i find time writing this instead of studying tells a lot about my current state of mind...

do i really want to go through with this licensure exam?

why do i ask that question when most people i know think of the licensure exam as a life-and-death situation, that this exam will dictate their future?

should i place myself in their situation so i could psyche myself up and study like a mad being hungry to join the working class?

but i'm not hungry. to tell you the truth, i'm not ready to get out there with them. maybe that is why i'm having all these shit running loose in my head.

enough of this. i need a hug.

names

2004-09-06T01:11:00.000+08:00

er... i kind of robbed this from Nikki without permission. so if you're reading this, er, I borrowed it all right? Thanks. :D

Who am I? Depending on how you would answer, I might be able to tell who you are.
For example, if you call me:

Julius Zoilo Z. Oliveros - you would be Kika, K, Alva, Kass, Nica or some other person I know who has this penchant for remembering a person's whole name just for fun. Or you could be me.

Julius - you would be my Mom, Dad, Lola Turing, and all of my relatives on both sides. You would also be Ate Anne; she's the eldest among us cousins on my father's side. I wonder if they think my name sounded just perfect for me... they couldn't even give me a decent nick.

Juluis Zolio- you would be those people who can't seem to spell my name right. I'm sorry but I also can't remember who you are, i just know there are plenty of you out there.

Julias / Juleeus - you would be that immigration officer at the Los Angeles Airport. When i told him how I pronounce my name, he said, "oh so it's somewhere along the middle."

Mr. Oliveros - you would be my favorite professor, Doc Munoz. You also recently called me Mr. Olivares for some reason I really couldn't comprehend. You also mistook me for Mr. Balgoa and it took you a whole semester to tell us apart.

Kuya / Kuyah - you would be Ivan and Vanessa, my younger siblings. All of my younger cousins also call me this. Funny, I don't quite remember them calling me Kuya Julius, except on the gift tags I receive on occasions.

Zoilo / Zoya / Soya - you are definitely one of my elementary classmates, like Harold and Kay. You can also be Racle, Jenny or Lanie. And Jem DC! You could also be Nikki except that she was referring to another Zoilo in her role-play notes.

Julz - this is the nick I used ever since I left the province of Quezon and ventured in the scary world of Quezon City. I would have met you in Philippine Science High School and in UP-Diliman.

Jules - this is how most people I met in highschool and college spell my nick-name.

Joules/ Zoilot / Moliot/ Mols - ah... you are definitely one of my Barkada Table friends. I don't quite remember how my name transformed into those but believe me it had something to do with famous scientists. Definitely, only Pisay people can come up with this.

Werewoof/ Woofydogg / Woofy - my on-line identity; this name was formed with Fe's help. We were thinking of a nick for my entry in her phonebook and since it was well known among friends that I was hairy as a dog, I went for that. Except that instead of "werewolf", I would be "werewoof" since I am pa-cute and quite tame. "Woofy" evolved from that. "Woofydogg" was another evolution when I signed up for a Hotmail account: apparently, there were too many woofy's in the net, so I thought, "Hey! I should add 'Dogg' like 'Snoop Dogg!'". Lame-O.

Sergio Santibanez - you would be one of my guy classmates in II-Dahlia. And a lot of the
Back Lobby people of Pisay Batch 99, most probably Capuxx. Why this name? Because back then I looked like a hairy latino. Click here.

Taba - you would be my sister Vanessa. These days, I'm getting used to people calling me this.

sulat: basted boy

2004-08-31T15:20:00.000+08:00

Bago magdapit-hapon sa isang dalampasigan sa Candelaria, Quezon, parang biglang may artista na dumating sa biglaang paggalaw ng mga taong kani-kanina lang ay natutulog sa ilalim ng mga makukulay na beach umbrellas. Unti-unti na palang umaalis ang mga nag- family outing, nag- team building excursion, nag- org initiation, nag-field trip at pati na rin ang mga palaboy na sa dagat tumatambay kapag Linggo.

Iba't ibang klaseng tao ang matatanaw: may matandang babaeng naka-bikining galing U-Kay, binatilyong lalaking naka two-piece na Speedo, dalagang naka-sunglasses, spag-strap at beach shorts na hindi naligo dahil ayaw maarawan, at sa isang dako sa tabi ng mga alimangong naglalaro sa batuhan ay may dalawang magkaibigang lalaki na siguradong kakaiba na ang kulay ng puwet sa buong katawan nila sa pagkakababad sa init ng araw.

Parehong nakahiga sa isang malaking tipak ng bato na nakaharap sa dagat si Boy at si Moi. Nakatuon ang siko sa bato habang nakatingin lang sa malayo ang mas balingkinitan, mas maputi, mas maliit at mas mukhang seryoso habang umaawit nang nakapikit ang mas patpatin, mas maitim, mas matangkad at mukhang mas masayahin.

"Wouldn't it be nice if we were -- Ay powtah, pare naman walang ganyanan! Sinong may sabi na pwede mong hawakan ang Walkman ko?!?"

"Boy ang baduy mo! Ano ba yang kinakanta mo? Parang panahon pa ng Hapon yan ah? Tsaka di ba sabi ko sayo masisira lang yan dito?"

"Beach Boys 'to dude. Classic 'to! Di ka ba nanood ng 50 First Dates? Tsaka lokohin mo lelang mo, ayun nga si Prof. Jong sa may niyog, CD pa ang dala."

"Bahala ka. Ano yan ulit, Beach Boys? Sino yun?"

Napanganga lang si Boy. Hindi nya lubos maisip na hindi kilala ng kaibigan niya ang kanyang iniidolong Beach Boys.

"Moi, alam mo, hindi ko lubos maisip na hindi mo kilala yung iniidolo kong Beach Boys. As in never heard? Dude you missed half of your life! Sila yung kumanta nung ano... nung..."

Saglit na napatigil sa pananalita si Boy, nag-isip, at bumanat sa pagkanta.

"Mahuma, Mahuga, c'mon pretty mama lu la la la la lu la--Basta yun! Yun yung may chorus na..."

"Kokomo. Alam ko yun, gago. 'Mahuma'. Bwahahaha! San yun?"

Puno na ng buhangin ang katawan ni Moi pagkatapos niyang magpagulong-gulong sa katatawa. Ito namang si Boy ay parang walang nangyayari na sinuot lang na muli ang headphones at tumitig sa langit; ngunit hindi mapagkakailang hindi maloloko ni Boy ang lelang niya dahil nagugusot na ang kanyang mukha sa kakapigil sa pagtawa.

"Powtah tumahimik ka na... Moi?"

Nakatayo na pala si Moi at ang mga mata nito'y nakapako sa isang grupo ng mga dalagang nakikipagkuwentuhan kay Prof. Jong sa ilalim ng niyog. Palubog na ang araw ng mga oras na iyon at may kakaibang liwanag na bumabalot sa paligid na nagbibigay ng ilusyon na ang isa sa mga dalaga na nakikita ni Moi ay hindi talaga tao kung hindi isang diwatang kaakit-akit. Maya-maya lamang ay napansin na ni Moi na naglalakad papalapit sa kanya ang diwata, walang kurap na magkapako ang kanilang mga mata na parang may dumadaloy na hindi nakikitang enerhiya, at ang mundo niya'y umuuga... umuuga...

"Huy... Basted Boy, pansinin mo nga ako!"

"Bitawan mo nga ako, gago!" Tinaboy ni Moi ang mga kamay na siyang umuuga sa binti niya at nang namalayan niyang nakatingin sa kanila ang diwatang nakasuot ng pulang one-piece suit sa ilalim ng puting T-shirt ay mabilisan siyang umupo at ibinaling ang tingin sa dagat. Narinig ni Moi ang tawanan ng mga dalaga at kita pa rin sa mukha ni Moi na namumula na ito sa hiya.

"Hi Rhona!", ang sigaw ni Boy habang iwinawagayway ang kanyang kamay na parang nangangampanya. Pilit na sinasagi ni Boy ng kanyang siko ang mga braso ni Moi na matigas na tumititig pa rin sa kawalan.

"Oi Boy! Alis na raw tayo in 15 minutes! Nagmamadali na kasi tong si Prof. Jong eh, baka raw di tayo makabalik ng maaga. Ang selfish no? Oops! Peace lang tayo sir."

"Sige, sige, maya-maya! Oi Rhona, hi daw sabi ni Moi."

At nagtawanang muli ang mga kinikilig na dalaga. Ngumiti lang si Rhona at nagsabing mag-iimpake kung kaya't naglakad itong patungo sa kubong kinalalagyan ng kanilang mga gamit.

"Moi, huy! Ayun na si Rhona o? pagkakataon mo na to dude! Para ka namang hindi kabilang sa Basted Boys niyan eh. Tandaan mo yung motto natin..."

"Oo alam ko tol. 'Hindi Palulupig'", ang malamyang pagkabigkas ni Moi.

"Hindi ganyan tol. Tigasan mo. Dapat, 'HINDI PALULUPIG!"

Madaling tinakpan ni Moi ang bibig ng kanyang kaibigan. "Tumahimik ka nga! Ang ingay mo, nakakahiya. Tsaka tigilan mo nga yan kagaguhan mo, hindi ako Basted Boy."

"Dude naman kasi eh. Ano ba talagang meron sa inyo ni Rhona? Sabi mo wala pero halos araw-araw naman kayong magkasama. Nung minsan nga nilibre mo siya ng sampung pirasong pishbol tapos pag-alis niya yung lima pinaghatian lang natin. Sayo pa yung tatlo."

"Wala nga, wala. Magkaibigan lang kami. Ilang beses ko bang uulitin--"

"Hangga't di mo matanggap na Basted Boy ka, uulitin ko ng uulitin. Wala raw... eh ano yung nabalitaan ko kay Atan na nakita daw niya kayo na magkasabay sumakay sa dyip tapos inaalalayan mo pa siya pag-akyat? Sinong babae lang ang ginanon mo dude? Wala! Bastos ka nga sa girls eh."

"Gago. Hindi ako bastos, baka ikaw. Tsaka wag kang magpapaniwala sa Atan na yun, bulaan yun."

"Ulol. Bahala ka na nga. Basta itong tatandaan mo, 'Hindi Palulupig!' Oi, mag-aayos na ako ng gamit tol, sunod ka"

"Maya-maya"

Lumalamig na ang paligid habang unti-unti nang parang lumulubog sa dagat ang araw. Sa saliw ng hangin at hampas ng alon sa bato na kinahihigaan ni Moi, ipinikit niya ang kanyang mga mata at ginalugad ang kanyang isip para sa alaala ng isang hapon sa loob ng dyip na ilang beses na niyang pinaulit-ulit sa sarili.

Minsan nang naiparamdam ni Moi sa sinisinta ang kanyang saloobin nang binigyan niya ito ng aklat na "A Walk To Remember" noong kaarawan nito. Bilang pasalamat, binigyan naman ni Rhona si Moi ng isang pink Post-It note na may nakasulat na "Thank you" na may puso sa dulo ng "u". Akala ni Moi na hanggang pink Post-It note na lang siya, pero sa hindi inaasahang pagkakataon ay pinagkalooban siya ni Lord ng isang hapon sa loob ng dyip, mga ilang buwan na rin ang nakaraan.

"Hoy Basted Boy! Lalarga na tayo!"

Natauhan si Moi sa sigaw at dali-dali itong nagtungo sa kubo. Siya na lang pala ang hindi nakakapag-ayos ng gamit na nagkalat na sa sahig. "Ay powtah, sino naman kayang nagkalat nitong gamit ko?"

Mabilisang pinagsasaksak ni Moi sa kanyang pulang bag ang kanyang tuwalya, baong Tortillos, sabon na Dial at shampoo na Head and Shoulders, ang baon niyang komiks, at nang matanaw niya ang isang maliit na bag na kulay pink sa ilalim ng mesa ay yumuko siya at pupulutin na sana iyon nang...

"Akin yan! Buti nahanap mo!"

Napatayong bigla si Moi sa gulat at napaupong muli nang tumama ang kanyang ulo sa gilid ng mesa.

"Ow. Shit."

"Sorry! Oh no... Sorry talaga!"

"Hindi ok lang ako... ow... Rhona?"

Natigilan si Moi. Hawak na ni Rhona ang batok ni Moi at hinahaplos ang bukol sa ulo nito nang namalayan ni Moi ang nangyayari.

"Er, ok lang ako.", ang sabi ni Moi na nagpupumilit nang tumayo. "Wala ito... Ow! Masakit! Wag mong hawakan!"

"Sorry! Shucks, crybaby. Sorry na."
Halos natatawa na si Rhona nang nagtagpo ang mga mata nila; nagkatitigan silang sandali at napatawa ng sabay.

"Halika, I'll help you up."

Tinulungang tumayo ni Rhona si Moi na mukha namang hindi nasugatan sa naganap na aksidente. Matagal din silang nakatayo lang at nagtitinginan nang namalayan ni Moi na hindi pa pala niya binibitawan ang kamay ni Rhona.

"Er... Salamat."

"Wala yun. Tara na... maiiwan na yata tayo."

"Sige". Nakita ni Moi ang hawak niyang maliit na pink na bag at iniabot ito kay Rhona.

"Yung kikay kit mo."

"Haha... sige, salamat."

Sabay na lumabas ng kubo at naglakad papalayo sa dagat ang dalawa. Pareho nilang pinapanood ang kani-kanilang mga hakbang nang nagkaroon ng lakas ng loob si Moi na hawakan ang braso ni Rhona.

"Rhona, sandali lang."

"Hmm?" ang sabi ni Rhona na nakatingin sa kanya na parang may hinihintay itong mga salita na nais nitong marinig.

"Er..."

"Ey, Moi, kung ito yung tungkol dun sa pinag-usapan natin sa jeep..."

"Hindi, hindi yun... um..."

"Teka lang. Moi, makapaghihintay ka naman di ba? Makapaghihintay din naman ako eh."

Natigilan at napatitig lang si Moi kay Rhona.

"Ha? Ah, anong..."

"'Lam mo na yun. 'Lika na."

Ngumiti lang si Rhona at maya-maya'y tumakbo na pasunod sa kanilang grupo na papalabas na patungo sa entrance ng resort. Hinabol lang ni Moi nang tingin ang tumatakbong diwata nang bumaling si Rhona at sumigaw.

"Basted Boy! Bilis!"

Napatawai si Moi at nang mapansin nitong hindi na umalis si Rhona sa kinatatayuan nito ay humarap siya sa dagat at nagtatalon sa tuwa. Pagtalikod niya, ipininta naman niya sa isip ang nakikita bago tumakbo patungo sa naghihintay pa rin na Rhona. Nang medyo malapit na siya sa grupo ni Prof. Jong, narinig niya ang nagsisisigaw na boses ni Boy na umaawit...

"Wouldn't it be nice if we were older
Then we wouldn't have to wait so long"

***

finally! weird ng blogger, couldn't access this for 4 straight days! laki tuloy ng utang ko kay Ariel Atienza kasi di ko pa naa-update yung Filipino Comics.

grr... oh well.

comments naman kayo o. :D Click on Growl! or Howls! basta sa baba nito.

Salamat nga pala sa pagbasa.

sulat: samuel's loss

2004-08-23T23:43:00.000+08:00

Samuel had only a second to appreciate the breath-taking view of the sea that his glass-walled room offered when he woke up to the midday sun in his work clothes. He reeked of smoke, sex and spirits but he was not aware of that. In fact even with the phone ringing, his pet ferret named Quirky making quite a ruckus, his two heads throbbing from last night's encounter with a sex deity, and the sea threatening to topple down the cliff where his house stood, Samuel seemed so unattached with the world that if it wasn't for the fact that he kept his feet from going through the missing floorboards he forgot to replace, you would think he was one of those mindless zombies that recently wreaked havoc at the city of Desire.

Well, he was sort of like a mindless zombie except that at that day, he had a mind filled with only a single thought: that he lost something very precious and he can't seem to remember what it was.

Out of frustration, Samuel headed out to the back of his cottage to take in the sea breeze that beckoned him. He walked slowly towards the edge of the cliff while trying to piece the broken memories he had of the last twenty-four hours. By the time he sat down on the edge of the cliff and looked at the jagged rocks jutting from the sea below, Samuel still could not picture the events that transpired before. He gave out a long sigh and as if mesmerized by the beauty of the sea, he fell into something like a trance; a state where he was almost asleep that he started "dreaming" about the things that happened in his life and at the same time, kept himself balanced enough to not topple over to his doom.

The surrounding sea faded into a blur and Samuel was twenty one again. He was already a brilliant engineer by then, but after three years working for the government, he wanted something more than a high-paying job so he thought of pursuing his childhood dream. He always wanted to be an archaeologist and join the futile hunt for the lost city of Dreams but midway through the three year apprenticeship, he got bored of sifting through rocks and dirt that he felt it was time to pursue yet another career.

Samuel then followed the footsteps of his late father who was the doctor of the mayor of some desirable city. This time around he was able to finish through three years of medicine school but after a year and a half or so of working, he felt he was giving too much and getting too little that he wanted to live life and enjoy it while he still can.

And so he lived and loved living. For the next six years, Samuel went around the world to fulfill his heart's desire, to try out everything he never tried before, and to look for that one place that felt just right. And it was on this cliff at the edge of Desire that he found the place where he will eventually settle down and have peace.

Despite finding the place where he always wanted to be and experiencing everything that the world and life had to offer, Samuel still felt like there was something missing in his life. Then on one fateful night, while hanging around the pub some two miles from his house, he found himself listening to the story of a girl who so wanted to find the most wonderful thing her insatiable heart ever desired. Her name was Sarah, and Samuel kept the drinks flowing as she retold how she searched even the uncharted lands and seas that until then still remain uncharted and yet she never did find her heart's desire. Disappointed, she wandered around until she found herself in Desire and telling her strange story in a strange pub to a total stranger. Feeling quite sorry for her, Samuel told her that maybe it was there that she will find what she wanted. So he offered her a room over at his house and there at the house on the cliff with the glass-wall facing the sea, Sarah spent the next five years living happily with the man of her dreams.

Samuel fell out of his trance when a seagull landed by his side as if wanting to watch the horizon with him. The picture of utter joy in Sarah's face on the day he gave her Quirky was still on his mind when he finally realized what the thing he lost was. It took him three years to realize it; three whole years and all those years, he was also wasting away everything: his money, his health, and his life.

For it was three years since he last saw Sarah on her deathbed, fighting off a rare disease she picked up from some uncharted soil, and even in her last moments, she was smiling. Her last wish was for Samuel to take care of Quirky in her absence and took care of Quirky he did; but other than the loyal ferret, Samuel took care of nothing else.

With wide and teary eyes, Samuel told the seagull by his side what he lost and what he wanted to do and the seagull nodded as if it understood. The seagull spread his wings as Samuel stretched out his arms; it was as if both of them were reaching for both sides of the world. Together, Samuel and the seagull took to the skies towards the horizon and neither Samuel nor the seagull was ever seen again.
...

i had the idea for this story one day when hanging out at my parent's clinic in the province. i was thinking about my options after taking the board exams; it's because right now, i really don't know if i still want to pursue being a chemical engineer. i asked my dad about taking medicine after the board exams and he had no objections... kung saan ako masaya. then there's the option of migrating to the US. hay... so many things to think about.

hey, i'd appreciate the comments... click on Growl, it's on the second line after this. thanks in advance!

nagbabalik

2004-08-23T23:27:00.000+08:00

inspired akong magsulat...

actually hindi talaga pero masyado na kasi akong nagiging stalker ng mga taong parte ng ating sariling comics industry na hanep sa galing magsulat kaya't eto ako't nagpapaka-"writer".

may kumpyansa naman ako sa abilidad ko pero ako yun eh...

kaya't naisip ko na buhayin na lang muli itong inaamag nang mansyon at gawing malikhaing kuwaderno na lang dito sa isang sulok sa Blogger.

siyempre, kailangan ko ng tulong nyo. aminado akong baguhan ako at mayabang pero kung meron kayong batikos o papuri o gusto nyo lang bumati at mag-dedicate ay sige lang, gawin nyo lang. trabaho niyo yun eh.

basta ako magsusulat. pero nakikinig naman ako sa mambabasa... pangit naman kung manunulat ka tapos wala kang mambabasa.

yun lang, sana masiyahan kayo sa mga kwento ko.

welcome to my humble home

2004-06-29T00:30:00.000+08:00

ah yes...

you have just entered by new house. no my new mansion. :D

anyway, this is just a test post. i still have my other home to take care of so just feel free to navigate around my humble domain while i am still studying the art of letting go of my old blog.

visit my other home here.