I'm supposed to be packing my stuff for tomorrow's flight...but it can wait. My flight's still in the afternoon.

Right now I'm just checking all my usual sites.
===

Tiring day. I had to accompany Bianx to the LTO branch in Las Piñas to finally get her overdue student permit converted to a driver's license.

Aside from the headaches of the actual process (I swear I ain't going there to renew my license!), what made me sore were the driving habits of Las Piñas motorists. And I thought Caloocan was bad...this was WAY worse. Everyone made his/her own counterflow, everyone wanted to make a left turn (holding up everyone else in the process) and everyone just cut in as often as he/she liked. What a pain.

I'd had my fill of Alabang-Zapote Road traffic. Sheesh. It's enough to drive anyone mad.
===

My FINAMA1 final went...well enough, on record. I did fudge my way through some items that I never understood anyway, but what I did manage to answer felt all right in my opinion.

I guess this is fate's way of telling me I ain't never going to cut it as a banker like my parents. I suck at finance.
===

Cher seems to be doing fine in Leyte, apart from another bad experience with love. Sigh. You deserve better, fwend.

The frogs will come and go...but I pray your prince will stay. *HUGS*
===

I am so darn tired. It's probably a good thing this term break's two weeks long---what a surprise.

What's nice to do after the Bacolod tour? I wonder...

Studying for FINAMA1 was a colossal struggle.

I hadn't noticed it throughout the term, but Professor Perez had actually covered so many topics that reviewing them alone the day before the final exam proved mind-boggling. An added handicap was that the formula index cards and notes we had so relied upon through the term were banned in the final exam. It meant memorization or bust.

To top it all off, my body seemed to have an agenda of its own---it preferred napping out instead of getting on with the task.

So when I came to school yesterday to face the inevitable (flunking the FINAMA1 final), I was sort of grateful for the classes being called off---literally seconds before my 1pm exam was underway. (Typical late DLSU fashion, yes.) However that meant having to move course card distribution as well as the affected exams to Monday.

Maybe they should have just pushed through with it after all?
===

Right after classes got called off I had nothing better to do. I decided to head to Greenbelt.

What did I do? I wasted PhP300 on Initial D ver.3. Yes, I'm addicted to that game.

I've conquered the Akagi mountain pass as well, and I've also tried the other mountain roads. Shomaru is ridiculously tight with poor road surface, while Happogahara is full of confusing turns (I kept losing to Daiki). The Irohazaka road seemed as daunting as navigating chicken intestines, but when I tried it I actually found it pretty easy. Sequential hairpin turns at 3rd gear = fun.

Sigh...that game's going to make a pauper out of me.
===

It's a soupy gray mess everywhere I look from my window. I feel sleepy again. Yaaaawn.

Two down, one to go.

I'm talking about my finals. QUATECH and COMLAW1 went well for the most part. For today I'm free, but come Wednesday afternoon I tackle my FINAMA1 final exam. Wish me luck.
===

I got to watch Gundam Wing: Endless Waltz last Saturday and well...it was okay. Still doesn't generate any emotional tug from me though. It's still about five pretty boys with their ridiculously powerful mobile suits. It just so happens Endless Waltz shows the Gundams they pilot as susceptible to major damage as well. The overall theme is good though.

Particularly noteworthy is the analogy of history as an "endless waltz"---the three dance steps of war, peace and revolution. Whomever thought up that concept deserves major kudos.
===

Before that I arrived ridiculously early for the HCP August EB. Deciding I had nothing better to do while burning the time, I walked to Greenbelt.

I was surprised to see an Initial D ver.3 arcade cabinet there. Off I went, buying my game card (I still got a Honda S2000 as my car), conquering the Myougi and Usui courses and finishing two legs of the Akagi mountain road. After the 9 races I was sweating like a pig and grinning from all the tension.

3pm came and I ran back to the Dela Rosa 1 carpark to meet up with the HCP guys. Some of us brought new rides---Emman had his brand-spanking-new red Jazz, Lyndon had his old-but-gold JDM EF9 Civic SiR hatchback (from the early 1990s!), and Eric had an immaculate EK9 Civic Type R hatchback in Championship White.

I spent the day mostly chatting with Angiela (Meow), her friend Sharon and Lyndon's girlfriend Ygy. Meow was too shy to make an outright appearance, so she asked us to stay with her.

Later on I met Ms. Rachell Diaz of HCPI's marketing team, among the giveaways of Lucky Strike BAR Honda F1 team stickers. She was responsible for brokering the sponsorship for our recital "Jazz Up Your Life," and I was delighted to hear that they were considering sponsoring our major concert come March 2005. Very very good news.

Overall an enjoyable EB...I just wish it were a damn bit cooler that day.
===

Lately I've been driving on a very prudent right foot. When fillup time came after the EB going home, I was delighted to see my fuel economy was at 9.89 km/L. With a bit less overtaking I could stretch that to 10, easily.

Gas is expensive nowadays...I heard gas prices have increased just now. Shame.
===

Is it just me or have I developed an addiction to Friendster?

Gundam Seed finally came to a close last night...waaah! Why did Mu La Flaga have to die? And in such a pathetic way at that? He was my favorite character by far.

The final 2 episodes were a bit lukewarm compared to the dramatic buildup of the entire series, but they do the job and they're not such a sore disappointment as to tarnish Gundam Seed as a whole. I can't wait for Gundam Seed Destiny to begin airing---subtitled or dubbed, it's a treat. The voice talents on Seed don't shame the grandiose scale of the anime at all and that's kudos for them.

I'll try to catch the movie version of Gundam Wing: Endless Waltz later. I just want to see what the hoopla was all about on this spin-off series.
===

With all my blathering about Gundam I might as well plug this site.
===

Cher finally answered my messages. It seems she's had more of those emotional instabilities that she's had since winning the councilorship race.

You're never alone, fwend. *HUGS*
===

Good news: I'm going to Bacolod!

Pops is going to have its annual Visayan concert tour over the term break, and it seems Rachel wants me doing hosting duty. Gee. It's a great opportunity :) I've never been south of Luzon and I'd love to visit the Visayas once in my life at least. I've heard so many nice things about Bacolod...

September 1 seems so close...but I gotta finish finals and pass this term first.

For five days, it seemed everything and anything that could have been due indeed was. For that reason I had close to a week where I had a piddling amount of sleep just trying to get everything finished.

At least that's over. All I'm waiting for nowadays is finals week. I got three exams to finish---one of them at a particularly LATE hour.

So far the term's shaped up to be a pretty nice one in terms of grades. I sucked early on with two of my must-not-flunk subjects (MARKCU1 and QUATECH) but I think I've more than made up my initial sluggish start. QUATECH in particular had me scoring 95% and above over three quizzes---that's enough to cancel out my humiliatingly low early quiz scores.
===

My colds and sinusitis haven't gone away though. They've simply become more persistent. To top that off I seem to have a knack for getting only 6 hours of sleep maximum, for some weird reason. I need more sleep.
===

I've become reacquainted with a couple of games that have been sitting on my computer for too long.

SimCity 3000 is actually pretty fun. It's a huge challenge to balance expenses and income while giving Sims what they want and making my cities productive and healthy.

Starcraft in the meantime is one game I previously played only with full cheats activated. Now that I've started over with zero cheats (well, apart from the "black sheep wall" code), I see the huge challenge it poses.

Both games are fabulous ways of wasting time.
===

I've turned into quite the Gundam fanatic lately.

It all started 9 weeks ago with the TV premiere of Mobile Suit Gundam Seed. Because of watching Mobile Suit Gundam Wing from before, having been put off by its ridiculous dialogue and confusing story, I had my own doubts about Seed. I'm glad to say Seed is a lot better. The characters are no longer simply invincible "poster boys" (or bishounen for the hardcore otaku out there) pretending to have human problems, as in Wing; in Seed they are human, fallible and susceptible. That basically makes all the difference.

This week sees Seed finishing its first season. 5 episodes to go. I can't wait to watch the second season, Mobile Suit Gundam Seed: Destiny.

Then last week came the 25th anniversary edition of the original series that started it all in 1979: Mobile Suit Gundam. Plot-wise, Seed seems to have taken a lot of its elements from this classic---no complaints there as it works really well both ways. Gundam's animation is a bit iffy and dated (but what can one expect from something done in 1979?), and the music is a bit laughable at parts, but it's also still quite interesting.

I wonder which other Gundam series have that mix of splendid animation and well-integrated plot? They'll be worth spending money on.
===

I miss Cher. Badly.

Ever since she went back to Leyte, it seems she's never sent me any text messages or answered any of my calls. I've become more than a bit worried. I shudder to think of what might have happened to her. I do pray she's all right. :(

Cher was actually in Manila for three days this week; she took the flight home on Thursday. They were here for some sort of convention on audit.

This was our opportunity to catch up on each other and the things we'd missed in the past 4 months or so. We haven't exactly kept in touch as frequently as we'd have liked and while it took us a bit of fumbling around to start off, we basically talked until midnight.

Take care, fwend. *HUGS*
===

Friday was the day everything seemed to click into place.

Honda's Jazz demo car arrived in school, to coincide with the "Jazz Up Your Life" jazz recital of the DLSU Pops Orchestra. Sadly no test-drives were allowed, but it's nice to see my current favorite car just inches in front of me. It was in my favorite color too (a shade they call "Vivid Blue").

Then it was the recital proper come nighttime.

Being part of the backstage crew, I was given a wireless mike and made to blurt out the sponsorship spiels. I did that pretty well, but when time came to start the recital with the Philippine national anthem, I made a bit of a booboo addressing the audience with "Good morning...er, good afternoon...er..." when it was already 6:30 pm. Heheheheh. I could hear them laughing. At least they were listening.

Pops busted out their great tunes as front act, but what really did me in was the UP Jazz Quartet, our main act of the evening. Man, they were a talented bunch. Classical guitar, bass, jazz drums and keyboards. Very very good. I especially paid attention to the drummer; it was interesting how he used different types of sticks to obtain all these effects from the usual snare drums, toms and cymbals. Most fascinating was this "stick" that was actually more of a miniature wire broom, and could be used to "caress" the snare drum's head.

Overall it was a great day...apart from my little brush and getaway from the traffic police on the way home. But that remains a secret. I'm not trying that again though.
===

Watched this show "Get Real" on Channel NewsAsia, a Singaporean cable news channel, and the one I saw was about Filipino maids in Singapore.

Host Diane Ser tried to project both sides (employers and maids) of the picture and I think it's pretty good. The whole show actually reminded me of Dr. Doy del Mundo's documentary film "Maid in Singapore," which we were able to watch while enrolled in our video production class.

It's sort of sad that some maids chose to break the trust of their employers---say, by inviting their boyfriends over to their employers' domiciles without permission. When the hapless employers come home, they get to see said boyfriends in compromising positions. It's also quite sad that while "work-permit holders" may marry in Singapore, if they are caught pregnant, their permits will be revoked and a ban placed on them for life.

Still I guess that's how things work in Singapore. If we Filipinos want to earn what we can there, we have to follow the rules.

Interesting though is how some maids have effectively adopted the badly broken "Singlish" of the Singaporean Chinese...
===

Speaking of Singlish, I'm having a hoot reading the Singlish dictionary at Talking Cock.

Funny how some mishaps can be avoided just by not deciding to do something or go somewhere.

All day I had planned to go to SM Bicutan on the way home to see if I could get an issue of Autocar Asean. Getting off the Skyway, I had already prepared to make a U-turn toward the mall, but I stopped because I waited for the traffic on the other lane to clear. Then I felt an infuriating thud on my rear.

Turns out a white MGE taxi braked into my right rear bumper and left a palm-sized dent. So I did the usual: check for the license, get the driver's contact info, and we were (un)fortunate (you'll see why) to have a traffic enforcer come along and sketch the accident site. The problem was that this officer took his time doing a sketch that I frankly could've done in less than a minute, and it wasn't helping things as our position already compromised the traffic on both Doña Soledad Ave. and the Skyway off-ramp.

Then IT happened.

While we were finishing up and preparing to separate the vehicles, I heard another thud on my car. This time the offending party was a police dispatch truck, and it left a black palm-size scrape on my right front bumper. I just snapped. I yelled at the offending police cruiser all vitriol and bad temper spewing out of me (to my surprise I didn't cuss).

The truck stopped and the police driver got off in an arrogant swagger. He was civil enough to ask what could be done about the damage, but he was obviously impatient and had the look that said "you're worthless" on his face. They were supposedly on red alert (God knows particularly what that was for) and they couldn't wait so he decided to run my bumper and leave a souvenir.

Before I did anything I'd regret later, I told the errant cop to get out of there.

While following the traffic cop's motorbike in heavy Bicutan evening traffic, I heard another thud from the inside. The errant taxi driver which was tailing me got off and told me my rear bumper "healed" the dent itself, so all it left was a white paint scrape half the length of my forearm. I inspected it again and he was right. We decided to lay off the police report in exchange for paying me PhP200 to foot the bill for touch-up paint. An agreeable amicable settlement for me and my parents (who are in Baguio right now), so all we had to do was to get our licenses back from the traffic management office.

I'm cool with the taxi driver now; he seemed like a good man who was unfortunate enough to passenger two lost souls who didn't know how to go to Pasay and mistook the Skyway for a route going there.

My beef is with the police. I understand they have their own reasons for red alert but couldn't they have been a little more considerate as drivers? We were already going to separate our cars and hie off to the traffic office. That could've taken just a minute. Worse, they acted as if they had every right to bash into my car. Red alert or not, that's still a quasi-delict.

Sigh...if only I decided to go straight home.

Was at the Asian Strategic Marketing Convention at the PICC the other day as a required event for MARKCU1. I thought it would be boring, but it was actually pretty interesting.
 
We had some great speakers. One of them was Pacita Juan, one of the entrepreneurial seven founders of the Figaro coffee shop chain. She talked with passion about focusing on something which one loves, and it just so happened that hers involved coffee. She and her friends loved it so much that they made a business out of it and it's still thriving. She told us that we should look for business partners not because of the cash they can contribute, but because of their talents and specialization. We should take care of our franchisees, she adds, and we should also love the business enough to do all the hard menial work.
 
Then there was Roland Benzon of Chikka, a solutions provider for cellular phone networks. Kinky voice and innuendo aside (this guy is hilarious and ought to be a voice talent for an animated movie), he pointed out that simply having the best technology won't necessarily win you customers right away. How to get culture to work for you is crucial. In our case Chikka managed to get a hold of how the Philippines became the SMS capital of the world, studied it and applied marketing plans based on that.
 
And then Philippine Marketing Association president Jos Ortega of BBDO Guerrero Ortega (an ad agency) showed us parts of the Gunn Report DVD, basically a compilation of the 100 best advertisements in a given year. The Chiclets and Axe ads were absolute hoots and they were really well made.
 
Quite an enriching experience despite the cheesy music and atmosphere. I don't regret going there despite getting into so many near-accidents along the way.
=== 

On impulse I went into the Honda Makati showroom and test-drove the GD1 Jazz last Tuesday as I didn't have any class that day.

To be perfectly honest I felt as if I didn't spend all that much time with the likeable little car. All the test-drive allowed me was one trip around some boring village roads around the dealership which were totally unrepresentative of what the car would typically face in the hands of its owner. Because of the brevity of the test I couldn't see for myself how good the acceleration of the car was.

Steering felt a bit weird because of the electric assistance (instead of hydraulic on my car and most others) but it's accurate enough for me to attempt parking the Jazz backwards. Clutch and brake pedals were too close and the fluid-type clutch itself was mushy and a bit hard to judge. However the gearbox is slick and the engine is torquey enough to forgive mistakes in upshifting (how unlike a Honda engine). It won't beat my D15B-powered SX8 City, but for a car that'll make 15-20 km/L, it's very good.

I just wish I had at least two more trips to confirm how it gets going under full acceleration.
===

This month's HCP EB was something special.

President Juno Ongteco managed to get hold of the local distributor of Johnnie Walker Black Label and arranged for a short course on Scotch whiskey appreciation after the EB proper. Basically that meant we got free drinks (5 varieties of Scotch whiskey per head!) and free food courtesy of the bar East of St. Louis at the Fort.

We had former actor-turned-interior-designer Jaime Garchitorena as host and he taught us a brief history of the Johnnie Walker heritage (JW Black is actually a blend of 40 or so single-malt whiskeys that's 200 years old). He then tuned us in on how to appreciate and taste whiskey. We looked for the "legs" (viscosity), "nose" (smell), character, palate and finish (3 phases of taste) of a brandy using a champagne glass, and noted how different single-malt Scotch whiskeys differ. Some taste heavy and dark like smoke, some taste light as fresh fruit, others taste creamy and delicate while still others taste of rich fruit (we tested each one). Being a 40-some blend, JW Black had a little bit of everything.

I don't drink very often, but it was cool to know all of this information and I didn't realize how much nuances there were to drinking Scotch whiskey. One thing's for sure: no matter how delicate the taste, Scotch whiskey definitely has a strong kick. Even with mere sipping at the 5 champagne glasses in front of me, I was beginning to feel tipsy by the time we finally got to sample and judge JW Black.

After that we got our share of finger foods. Some of us left early, like myself. I just stayed long enough to get the tipsiness out of my head. I certainly wouldn't want to receive a face full of windshield because of driving under the influence of ethanol consumption.

It was a nice drive home, unlike the rest of the damned traffic-ridden week. I took the wet, sweeping Heritage Memorial road out of the Fort and drove at a consistent 80-100 km/h around the gentle bends leading to C5 and to the SLEX.

If only everyday driving was that pleasurable.

Pretty much spend the free day today mostly online. Had a good chat with my new friend Chen from the US. Been particularly looking forward to chatting with her as I hardly get to see her online at the same time I am. She's also one of those people who's not afraid to speak her mind and be true to herself.
===
 
Am kinda shocked at seeing some people use Friendster as a venue to set up sex EBs. My friends at HCP have talked about how some of these individuals will set up a sex EB with whomever sends them cellphone credits.
 
Imagine if these temptresses were actually men who had no interest in sex whatsoever, and went through the trouble only because of cellphone compulsion. Smells like a good scam to me.
===
 
I can't deny it anymore. I seriously have a crush on this girl.
 
I've had her as classmate for two separate terms already and I still can't muster enough guts to introduce myself properly. Nor to be able to face her. But I seem to be crazy over this girl whom I've noticed since I was a college freshman.
 
I think it's cool she drives a GD6 City. I think it's cool she's also a Marketing major like I am (she's ahead of me by one term at that). I think she's damn cute and pretty and given the chance she's also pretty smart too.
 
Now to overcome the hurdle of actually saying HI. Can't be the hardest thing to do now can it?
 
Shit...when it boils down to it I can still be a very shy high school adolescent.
===
 
Am glad Angelo dela Cruz has already been released from his month-long captivity and threat of decapitation. Much ado about the life of one man, yes.
 
I've read my fair share of opinions regarding the issue, most of them unfavorable. We've even been called "cowards" by what in my opinion are foolish Americans who don't know the whole details of what was going on. My stand here is that whichever decision President Arroyo made would have been a loss anyway.
 
I'm glad that Mr. dela Cruz is now safe and sound, but I'm also frightened at where our sense of patriotism has gone.

Just when we thought we'd failed in bringing in sponsors for Pops' recitals and concerts, along came a ray of hope.
 
It was ironic that Rachel took notice of the new GD1 Honda Jazz and its tagline "Jazz up your life!" as I was part of Honda Club myself. She suggested I ring some contacts and ask if they're interested to sponsor us, as coincidentally our first recital on July 30 is also called "Jazz UP Your Life."
 
I contacted Abbie, our former HCP liaison to HCPI, and inquired who was in charge of marketing nowadays at HCPI, then I called Ms. Rachell Diaz up. 30 minutes after I had sent in the fax, she personally called Rachel herself that yes, they were willing to sponsor us and they would do so in much-needed CASH amounting to PhP20,000.
 
Rachel was jumping for joy and screaming her heart out. At last! A cash sponsor! At least now I can say our efforts paid off.
 
Small victories are always cause for celebration, I always say. We've still got a lot of work ahead, though. After all, these two terms are devoted to campus tours, recitals and our Visayan concert tour too.
===
 
Dropped by Honda Makati a while ago to scope out the new GD1 Honda Jazz hatchback. What a cute little number! I'd love to have one in my garage.
 
If only I could do something about that price tag...I'd be spending PhP670,000 for the model I want.
 
At least I'd be consoled with remarkable fuel efficiency. The Jazz tops my SX8 City 1.5's 9-10 km/L consumption with a trumping figure of 15-20 km/L.

Last Wednesday's COMLAW1 class was unusual to say the least.

We've gotten accustomed to Atty. Dimayuga coming in a little late, but this time around an ITEO officer was around to conduct the usual teacher/course surveys. After a while my classmates were spouting rumors of Atty. Dimayuga bringing in the Yellow Cab pizzas he promised us in return for the meetings he missed with us. Now I rode along with the deal but I wasn't expecting him to be serious with carrying it out.

Lo and behold, 8 Yellow Cab pizza boxes were being hauled into the classroom. Of course it's taboo to eat inside the classrooms, so we had to keep it hush-hush to avoid any trouble with the Discipline Office. (I wonder if the janitors could tell from all the printed tissue we used and threw away in the trash though.)

So there we were, sharing pizzas, thanking our kind old professor and chomping away. To make a long story short, we didn't have class at all that day. Some of my classmates were already asking if we could enroll into COMLAW2 under him next term, but Atty. Dimayuga caught on early ("...so you can get fed once again right?").

That's gotta be the strangest but most palatable classroom experience I've had, ever.
===

Had an impromptu jam session with Gabby, Gerby, RL, PJ and JR at the band room a while ago, and this time I got to grab the mike and have a little fun with it. Turns out no one knew the lyrics to that old '70s song "Manila," so JR handed the mike over to me while I belted my lungs out in my trademark gravelly deep voice. Not that that was getting me any seats as Pops Orchestra vocalist, but it was enough for PJ (a vocalist himself) to ask me anyway.

Been fiddling around with the drums a little more too. Can't say I'm good at it yet but there's a little progress now.
===

Stayed up late last Tuesday to finish "Bandelizing," the Pops Orchestra newsletter. That's gotta be the fastest layout job I've done ever. I managed to finish a small 8-page newsletter in 2 days.

Makes me wonder how wasteful I was with my working time back when I was still layout editor for "Counterpoint" in high school. Took me months to finish a 16-page magazine...bad, JM, bad.

This morning I happened to walk to school with a guy who drove this red Alfa Romeo 155 shod with 17" OZ Superleggera rims. I was curious about his wheels so I decided to pop the question.

Leo was a enthusiastic enough guy and he told me he imported his from Hong Kong. When I asked him about the price, he said it set him back around PhP60,000. He'd been looking for gunmetal gray ones, but they were out of stock so he got silver instead. Leo looked happy with his rims; he was proud to tell me that they were really lightweight and they actually spun in the wet because of their lightness.

He remembered someone posting on the Honda Club Philippines forums about someone seeing an Alfa 155 shod with OZ Superleggera rims...and it said "Screw the car, I just want his rims." I confessed it was me. I did try to ask him how his 155 was to own and drive, just to make up for my mistake. Leo said it was a good car, it's just that it complains when it's not driven.

We split when he had to climb up St. Miguel Hall.

I guess this means I should be more careful of what I say...but I'm glad I met Leo. Likeable chap and he seems to share the same love of things on four wheels as I do.

Unfortunately that rules out getting Superleggeras for my ride, ever. PhP60,000 isn't the kind of money I can snatch from nowhere. I'll probably settle with Rota 5-spokers, if ever I get enough moolah to get my car shod with 15" shoes.

These past few days have been rather tough. I'm finding it a great challenge to balance studies, Pops and my emotional health these days.

The term isn't going too good, academically speaking. I've flunked two straight quizzes in QUATECH even though I have no problem with the lessons themselves. It's just that somehow, somewhere, something always screws with me and my progress in the exams. In the first one it was purely an avoidable mistake; in the second one I'm afraid it wasn't that easy. My other subjects I'd like to think are doing okay, but I can always be wrong. FINAMA1 is a toughie too, but I feel I can understand the lessons now.

My mom went down with the flu the other week and so I had to become errand boy---doing groceries, fetching my dad and my sister, basically not having any free time---precisely when things were becoming pretty hectic, as it's midterms week already and a lot of things are due. Everything happens this week, I like to say.

I also have to admit I haven't been the most effective sponsor-seeker on Pops' marketing committee. I've bungled up a couple of faxes and I basically have to secure enough sponsors or donations in time for the July 30 recital. I have two weeks to make that up. I have to make better use of my contacts.

This term's going to be rocky as far as I can see it.
===

It also doesn't help that I've been quite cranky these past few days. I just feel like I don't want to take any bullshit from other people. If they can't help, I might as well clam up and do my thing myself---and I'll shove it up their throats that they're useless.

I know that isn't the most pleasant way to behave but I really can't help it. I'm tired, I'm not getting enough things done and my grades suck no matter how hard I try.

I need a breather. Wooooosssahhhhhh...

While going to the band room for residency duty, Joanne and Tintin said hi. It's been a while since I saw these two. Joanne remarked I looked a lot thinner; Tintin agreed.

I didn't remember losing 20 lbs. anytime in recent history, so I raised my eyebrows in surprise, but I thanked them for the compliment anyway.

It took me an entire day to figure out that the reason why I "looked thinner" was because of the haircut I had for the yearbook pictorial.
===

Speaking of the pictorial, I showed up 30 minutes early but the makeup artists and photographer didn't seem to mind. Aside from the foundation literally being pushed into my face, it went okay and I was pretty pleased with the result.

The gunk took its time to come off my face though. I was in front of the sink for 15 minutes and spent 20 pulls of Kleenex to get it out.
===

Please do not deny me
The pleasure of feeling
You sliding across my skin
Luxuriating in your warmth
My senses coming alive
In the relative absence
Of sight

Let's just lie down
Next to each other
Naked in bed
Nothing else has to happen
I just want to feel you
Right next to me
Soothing me
Rejuvenating you

We kiss, we caress
Holding in each other's arms
Feeling every breath of you
Stamping your memory
Into every cell of me
Throw away reason
No more secrets no more lies
Do away with all disguise
Just the truth of us
Naked as can be
Nothing else has to happen
All I want to do
Is lie here with you
Until we fade away...

A longtime crush of mine, I found out, drives an all-new black GD6 Honda City. Yesterday I "lucked out" watching her drive from the Sports Complex parking all the way to Taft Ave. cor. Vito Cruz (not very far, but enough to get an insight due to the traffic).

While I was watching her drive I noticed she was pretty aggressive. I don't know how much force she's putting into her footbrake but her stops seemed pretty sudden. She was pretty hard on the loud pedal too.

Hmmm. If she's trying to avoid or outrun me, she shouldn't do so in the thick of rush-hour traffic. Besides who am I to her? What should she be afraid of? I ain't no stalker.
===

Dad lent me his Pajero to drive today as the Pregio was still in the shop having the air conditioning serviced.

At first I could hardly feel any of the controls. The steering felt loose and vague, the brakes were hard to judge and the clutch's contact point was tricky to find. It doesn't help that the shifter's kinda far away and the gear ratios are ridiculously close to each other. But I got the hang of driving it after 10 minutes. As long as I don't forget that acceleration and top speed are both poor in the SUV, and I keep safe driving in mind, I won't have any problems.

Parking this beast will be a challenge though. I miss my Honda already.

This month's HCP EB seemed a little different from those of recent history. True, the venue was new (Blue Wave instead of The Fort), but other than that this one seemed a little more special.

Rain did not spoil the EB this time around, so members and newbies were free to mingle out in the open. Came across a few new faces myself and I got to venture outside my usual Tropang City barkada. Some new dude in an EK Civic sported a brand new Top Secret Gold paintjob (what a damn cool color!), with a sweet-looking Momo steering wheel and gorgeous Recaro SR V bucket seats in red and black. A couple of old-but-sorely-missed members made their welcome return appearances as well. A few petrolheads tested their cars on the free roads.

Racer Mikko David was on hand to record the proceedings for the local motorsports show "Slipstream." He toted his camera and tripod around, hovering around the crowd and the more notable engine bays of some of the members. Later on he asked for a white Honda of every model (EG, EK, ES Civics; CB Accord; RD2 CR-V; SX8 City) to be arranged in a semicircle around HCP president Juno Ongteco, while the latter explained to viewers what HCP was all about and invited members to join in.
===

After the shooting was done, Mikko and I talked at length about the situation of the show and the local circuit racing industry in general. He told me he was looking for a scriptwriter and any other help he could scrape up, as he was basically a one-man production house as of the moment and he still hasn't been paid for his work (4 episodes' worth). I expressed interest in the show a couple weeks ago, and he invited me to come along on the race weekends to watch and get a feel of how the Subic races were held. He also requested a little creative input on my side, and if my schedule permitted, some scriptwriting duty as well.

Mikko's a likeable guy and it's obvious he loves circuit racing. As we may all know, though, the guy also has to earn from what he loves and he needs more than a little help and support. I'm mulling his offer over, actually. I'd like to help project local motorsport as something accessible to everyone and not just some rich man's hobby. If "Slipstream" can also encourage people to get their adrenalin rush from the racetrack and NOT on public roads then I'm game for it as well.

Only concern for me now is how to break this to my parents. Going to Subic is no joke as it's kinda far, but Mikko assured me there's a house where we can stay overnight there. My dad's aware of how much I love cars and so he's encouraged me to look for a career that revolves around them. This just might be it. It might not pay well, yes, but the experience is what counts, no?
===

After the sun went down we trekked over to Gerry's Grill for dinner. There were a lot of us HCPers on one long table and it was really fun having all these people around to talk to. Had to split at 8pm though.

"Kapatiran," the annual DLSU Pops Orchestra welcoming, was held today as Manila Day exempted us from class. I can't say I enjoyed it 100% but I learned a few things from today's experience.

Somehow I've lost the ability to trust others. I've become quite sullen in the way I approach people, opting to be stubborn and obstinate than to be open-minded and easygoing. I know I shouldn't be the type to take bullshit from others but I can't seem to distinguish between some things are actually lessons for my own benefit, and the negligible remainder of those that are actually things I have the right to defend myself against. With Pops I should realize I won't last long if I stubbornly stick to my guns all the time. I need to stay back and listen to what the other members have to say as they've been around far longer than I have.

I feel ashamed and immature compared to the rest of my peers there. I have 5 terms to turn things around.

Mela and I have been talking lately over YM. Nothing special, just the usual chitchat. When I asked about how things were with her boyfriend, I was surprised to know they were off since summer. Turns out his mom didn't approve of her being a Filipina because he came from a Chinese family.

Honestly I thought this sort of case made it impossible for Chinese women to date Pinoy men. I didn't know it was the other way around as well. And it doesn't stop there. Judging from some HCP friends' experiences, Chinese men also are pretty much discouraged to date Filipina women too.

Year after year I hear the same stories about this sort of thing going around. What is it with Chinese families and this obsession of keeping their bloodline pure? I've heard of so many reasons, the most convincing being that the Chinese simply consider themselves a superior race. There was this other thing that Filipinos might just cheat Chinese families out of their wealth.

Mela was right. When it all comes down to it, two things are painfully clear. One, this is racial discrimination, and two, this isn't even valid as most Filipinos would have Chinese blood in them anyway.

Chinese girls have got to be some of the cutest I've run across since I started college. I admit that much. The problem lies when most if not ALL the girls you run into are Chinese and you can't even court a single one of them.
===

Women and their little mind games. I'm sick of constantly falling for the deception card they play all the time. Now I won't take any of that bullshit, not anymore.

If being true to myself means ending up a bachelor my entire life then so be it. At least I ain't the one digging up my own hole to fall into.

H'wag ka nang mag-alala
Hinding-hindi ako inlab sa iyo
Bakit ba pakiramdam mo pa yata
Lahat kami ay naaakit mo?
Miss miss pakitigil lang plis
Ang iyong pagpapantasya
Di ka na nakakatuwa
Papagulpi na kita sa gwardyang may batuta!

Hindi ko talaga ma-gets kung bakit ka ganyan
Ang feeling mo'y sabik sa iyo ang lahat ng kakakalihan
Sori pagpasensyahan mo na
Mali talaga ang iyong inaakala
Lahat kami ay nandidiri sa iyo
Ikaskas mo na sana ang mukha mo sa semento!

Di kami natu-turn sa kutis mong kulay tsamporado
Di kami naaakit sa labi mong garabutso
O please naman pakitanggap mo na lang ang katotohanan
Na ganyan ka pinanganak
H'wag ka nang magpapanggap
Na ikaw ay isang dalagang ubod ng ganda
Kahit na
Alam naman natin na ang karakas mo
Ay ubod ng sama

Siguro nga naman ay may mga mas pangit pa sa iyo
Ngunit hindi sila nagpapa-cute katulad mo
Nakakabadtrip ka,
Nakakairita t'wing ika'y nakikita
Di ko alam ba't ang laki ng ulo mo
Mag-ingat-ingat ka baka ikaw ay sagasaan ko!

--- Parokya ni Edgar, "Silvertoes"
===

Ahh, I feel BETTER already.

Women can't fool me like that again.

I have serious beef against CR-V drivers.

I don't mean to generalize, but the CR-V drivers I've encountered tend to be the nastiest private drivers I've ever come across. This is proven from months and months of being on the receiving end of their malicious moves. They swerve, they cut you off, they deliberately compromise one's legitimate overtaking maneuvers...and they just keep on doing it.

It's gotten so bad that whenever I see CR-Vs in my field of vision, I immediately anticipate bullshit driving coming my way. Of course I can never talk about this in the confines of HCP (and I believe my CR-V-driving clubmates are responsible drivers) but this mayhem has just got to stop.
===

I'm finally inside the DLSU Pops Orchestra's marketing committee. Cool. Sleepless days and nights await me from here on in, I guess.

I've noticed there are a lot of seriously cute girls there. I particularly dig this drummer chick from Assumption College Makati that plays kick-ass drums. She's so cute everyone can't help but look at her and stare.

I've spent my first 7 hours of residency there and I seriously enjoy all the jam sessions the guys go on to. I finally get to join an org that can fulfill my hunger for great music. Best to consider myself really lucky.
===

Feeling a bit better now. The semi-fevers have gone and my nose has stopped running for the most part. All I'm left with is an itchy throat and a raspy cough.

Wish I could say the same with my lovelife. Ha ha ha!