On Valentine's Day I got my car checked for its regular 40,000-km periodic maintenance, and also had it inspected for any defects and malfunctions. Turns out I need to replace my power steering column, get new tires and then get them all aligned.

Total bill's going to come around PhP21,000 including labor.

Yikes. That's almost double what my dad paid for replacing our old Corolla's clutch assembly, brake pads, axle boots and engine mounts.

Sigh...maintaining a car is expensive! Just when I was beginning to earn money of my own...
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Got to watch "Vanilla Sky" that night and it was pretty good. At least it was more substantial than simply being a Penelope Cruz-Tom Cruise starring vehicle...it had a little more meat into it than I thought.

It's a good flick to watch.

I even sort of enjoyed watching "2Fast 2Furious" because it wasn't the racer-wannabe movie the first one was. It's over-the-top in its stunts, true, but at least there's now a clear demarcation line in the film that tells us that it's just a movie.

Hmmm...I noticed I'm watching more and more movies lately. I must be trying to keep up with my movie drought these past 6 months.
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Nicole's probably going to drag me into watching more recent movies next term. I already asked her about enrolling in Economics 3 and she was game.

I miss her and her craziness.
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Today I left early to claim my confiscated license back once and for all.

Left home at 7am and arrived at LTO's head office around 8. After the informative and entertaining seminar and answering all those 60 exam questions, I paid up the fee for my violation (PhP510 for "reckless driving"---probably what speeding falls under) and waited in the heat.

At 12 noon, hungry and thirsty, I finally got my license back. I took the initiative to brave the noontime southbound traffic along EDSA and get back to my Marketing Research class at 1pm...and I made it just in time. I even got to refuel my car along the way.

Not bad for a day's work...but I wish the waiting time was decreased. I even wish we never had to have our licenses confiscated, just like in other countries where they use a demerit system instead.

Wishful thinking, yes.
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GTO seems to have ended its run on Animax...and I enjoyed every rollicking minute of it. I'm going to miss that anime. I still hope there's more in store though. Onizuka and his class are well worth watching over and over again, over all 42 or so episodes.