An Ounce of Geekiness

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!

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

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

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

“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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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