Lately I've had nothing but this song on my mind, probably due to my present state of mellowed melancholia.

Labis na naiinip
Nayayamot sa bawat saglit
Kapag naaalala ka
Wala naman akong magawa...

Umuwi ka na baby
Di na ako sanay ng wala ka
Mahirap ang mag-isa
At sa gabi'y hinahanap hanap kita...

Hanggang kailan ako maghihintay
Na makasama kang muli
Sa buhay kong puno ng
Paghihirap
At tanging ikaw lang ang
Pumapawi sa mga luha at
Naglalagay ng ngiti sa mga labi...

Di mapigilang mag-isip
O baka sa tagal
Mahulog ang loob mo sa iba
Nakaka balisa
Knock on wood wag naman sana...

Umuwi ka na baby
Di na ako sanay ng wala ka
Mahirap ang mag-isa
At sa gabi'y hinahanap hanap kita...

Hanggang kailan ako maghihintay
Na makasama kang muli
Sa buhay kong puno ng
Paghihirap
At tanging ikaw lang ang
Pumapawi sa mga luha
Naglalagay ng ngiti sa mga labi...

- Orange and Lemons, "Hanggang Kailan"
===

I remember the times when I absolutely regretted buying my Adidas Samba Millenniums back when I was still in Santa Monica.



These were the fruit of effort to buy badminton shoes in the US. How misguided I was to think I'd find anything there (the same goes for Gundam model kits). Luckily these gum-soled Sambas were built for indoor soccer or futsal, so they're at least as functional, if not as thin-soled as proper gum-soled badminton shoes.

I was excited to take them out for a test walk at the Getty Center. Midway through our visit however, my right Achilles' tendon was getting very sore. I was getting tendinitis from the rear of the shoe that's unusually high. It was digging into my right Achilles' tendon with every step I took. The funny shoelaces also had the habit of undoing themselves because of lack of friction, and my soles complained of poor arch support.

I stuck with them though. I made it a habit of bending the offending rear part of the shoe backwards so that it's not so stiff and develops a bit of give, to avoid giving me tendinitis. Luckily it's made of leather, so after a few weeks it was okay. The arch support problem went away as I broke the shoe in, and I discovered it's a pretty good shoe for doing heel-and-toe. Shame about these stupid laces though.

With my Puma Speed Cats having had their share of leather damage, I've been wearing my Samba Millenniums almost everyday.
===

Here are some pictures of my not-so-recent-anymore model works. It just so happened I posted them here just now.

Here's the MG Zeta Plus A1, the mass-produced cousin of the Zeta Gundam from the Model Graphix photo novel "Gundam Sentinel."




And here's my birthday present this year, the MG Wing Gundam ver.Ka.




As you can see, I have a fondness for transforming mobile suits.

I woke up extra early this morning to make it to my very first ever job interview, one with Accenture.

Well, I gotta say it was a draining experience. The interviewer was constantly asking me for certain situations that have happened in the past couple years, usually involving a problem of some sort, and how I overcame them. She'd then dissect each one and go over it in detail. It's kind of hard trying to recall such things when you're tired, sleepy and totally blank, at least as far as the events of the "recent past" of two years ago are concerned.

I have to say I was surprised when they phoned me they were considering me for the position of "junior software engineer." They're getting the wrong person; IT isn't my expertise as can be gleaned from my courses. Apparently they really were looking for non-IT people---exactly why, I have no idea. The interviewer did tell me I'd undergo a month of training for the job though.

Still the interview was a learning experience, and the prospect of sitting down in front of a computer and doing lines upon lines of code seems all right for a starting job, although not what I was aspiring for. First and foremost, I need cash.

There's also the prospect of being granted another interview, this time with Procter and Gamble.

As for Accenture I'll learn what fate has in store for me next week.
===

I think I've exhausted myself. My head feels fried and my eyes feel heavy. Sigh. Animax sure isn't making things easy for me, showing Shingetsutan Tsukihime at such a late hour. I almost fell asleep through one episode because of fatigue.
===

We've almost finished discussing our book in SALETAX, and Atty. Caoile has started entertaining requests to raise students' grades by singing or performing cheerdancer routines in class.

I might as well try my luck. The problem is looking for a song she'll know. I mean, she isn't THAT old---just not abreast with new music I guess.

Dread is my predominant mood these days.

I dread doing school stuff. I dread actually having to attend what I know are worthless classes. I dread the impending close of the present trimester and with it all the things I have to do. The "event" project for MARKEVE. The PR campaign and defense for MARKPUB. The final exams for SALETAX. Pretty much the only school-related thing I enjoy doing is the layout of the children's book class project for FILIPI3, of which I'm about 70% complete.

I'm actually being a truant student now after so many years of stomaching the work. I don't even feel anything about Pops and me not doing my task. I guess this is what people call getting burned out. I don't see the point anymore, honestly. I'll be out of here in a few months anyway. I might as well sit in the many free computer labs and rot in my chair while getting absorbed into the Internet. Let the new blood replace tired and worn old university "relics" like me.

All that time spent on the Internet usually goes to three things: Honda Club Philippines, G.O.U.F., and MechaPinoy. Even so I admit to getting tired of seeing the same old, same old day in and day out. G.O.U.F., especially, has lot of annoying posters that type in super-idiotic questions, and the moderators seem to be dour, lifeless puritan types that spring into action at the very instance of out-of-line behavior. Good grief.

I'm usually alone these days as well. I've been making half-hearted efforts to reach out and find new people to talk to and old company to keep, but they're either too busy with their own lives or are too shallow in thinking for me to take a serious interest in them.
===

I've been dismantling and rebuilding some of my model kits, and I've discovered the wonders of plain old Elmer's White Glue (EWG) in the process.

A dried layer of EWG is very helpful to reduce excessive play and floppiness in some mobile suit parts. Applied it onto my MG Strike Rouge's Aile Striker flight pack, on its folding wings, where they have problems staying up. After layering some EWG the joints have tightened up quite nicely, and the wings still fold while keeping their position. It works so darned well that I put some on the waist ball joint too, so that the MS stays upright and doesn't lean back due to the heavy Aile Striker.

I put in more EWG on my MG Wing Gundam ver.Ka, especially on the shoulder pegs, the wing hinges, the backpack swingarm and the overly loose right leg's lower knee joint. Worked like a charm. Apparently I hadn't installed the arms firmly enough too so my earlier comments of its arms being pathetically weak are partly my own fault.

I'm beginning to think of unique paint schemes for my kits too. My painted HG Duel Gundam is still 50% complete, but this early I plan to apply paint to my bigger kits. Fichtenfoo.com has a great rendition of the MG Wing Gundam ver.Ka that I might find some inspiration from.
===

Reconstructing, rebuilding, solving problems and painting my current kits is all cheaper than buying a new one. It didn't stop me from getting an HGUC black Rick Dias though. Couldn't help it---it was half price, and I was going to get it sooner or later.

Talk about throwing a wrench into my future model kit plans. I was planning to use the money on something else.
===

There was this recent column on the STAR that had me thinking. It was about a woman who had a very close guy friend, and they knew each other inside out. Both of them found each other mutually attractive, but they never actually got romantically involved with one another.

Why?

One reason I remembered with clarity was that now that they knew the traits each other's perfect partner should have, had they ended up together they would have had trouble living up to those expectations.

Besides it was better for them to remain the way they were. There is always the danger of not being able to go back to the original friendship if the relationship doesn't work out.

The guy is now married, but his wife allows her husband's "girl best friend" to hang out just like they used to, as she understands her place in her husband's life.

That got me thinking. Wouldn't it have been a lot better if I never proceeded to think with my dick and get her as my now-ex-girlfriend? I imagine the friendship described in the article would have been a lot like what my ex and I had. I suppose the fault of losing her as one of my best friends lies squarely on my shoulders. I now understand why Denise never considered me as boyfriend material.

Well anyway, so what would this mean for me in the future, in terms of romantic relationships? I suppose continuing my old habit of "friends first, possible lovers second" would be pointless. I guess I'll have to develop enough guts to get girls I like to go out with me for at least 3 dates.

No more friends-to-lovers scenarios. I'll have to wing it from now on.
===

Speaking of Denise...I guess I've finally outgrown her.

Nowadays I don't even feel like talking to her all that much. To my surprise I noticed a certain formula she uses whenever she talks to me, and the said formula's just worn a little too thin on me to have much of an effect. She just doesn't appeal to me anymore. It's akin to eating one too many pineapples because they're so damn good, and when you eat one more, you notice your sense of taste gets destroyed as your tongue tells you the thing's bloody bitter.

That said, I have to say I took my fucking bloody time outgrowing her. Goodness. I feel insipid.

I've had a mountain of things I wanted to talk about but for some reason just thinking about typing into my blog has turned into a burden. I don't really know why. Was probably discouraged by the low traffic my site's gotten, among other things, but oh well.
===

Finished the 47-episode run of Kidou Senshi Gundam ZZ. My thoughts here.

Just when I thought I'd be able to sleep earlier now that ZZ's finished, along comes another intriguing anime on Animax called "Lunar Legend Tsukihime." Judging from the music and visuals, I had impressions that this title was imitating a bishoujo game. In fact it was the other way around. Tsukihime was first a novel-type b-game before an anime---an apparently untranslatable effort so far due to its length.

All I can tell you from now is that it's a gothic story of an alliance made between a sickly boy with a dangerous gift, and a beatiful vampire that breaks all the conventional stereotypes of one. I'm at episode 4 out of a supposed 12. Would love to finish this and give it a proper review on Otakufridge.com.
===

Lately class has been very boring and pointless. I've just about had it with school. I suppose I'm entitled to it as I'm almost finished with my academics; thesis and OJT alone remain for next term.

The diamond in the rough this term was PHILPER. Goodness, I need more of this kind of learning, where I'm not forced upon a certain recipe of doing things step-by-step. Rather I can relax in PHILPER and enjoy getting lost in philosophy, thinking and reflecting about what it is to be human and why we do the things we do.

I just love the class and I'd be very sorry to see it go if and when the time comes.

I gave painting a second try, this time with Nippon Paint's Pylox aerosol lacquers. For starters I bought two spraycans, Family White and Oxford Blue.

I started off by spray-painting the other wing from the 1/144 DINN kit (Bianca's Christmas gift to me), effectively coating a lavender plastic part white. Using spraycan tips and techniques learned from Jake of MechaPinoy (what I fondly call the "wisik-wisik" technique), I was amazed at how well the job turned out. The white coat was even, and despite my fingerprints marring one of the still-wet coats, I simply sprayed over it later, without incident and evidence of what could have been a major boo-boo.

Having had enough practice on the DINN, I decided to rebuild one of my old kits, a 1/144 HG Duel Gundam Assautshroud Angiela gave me as a present. This time I did it properly, in preparation for the painting aspect.

After ripping the model apart with a small chisel, I applied plastic cement to the parts, bonded them and sanded off the visible excess with water and 600-grit sandpaper to make sure I had zero seam lines (or at least very inconspicuous ones). That way I'd have a solid-looking kit after everything is done and it'd look a lot less plasticky. I removed the old panel lines I made with a black signpen, literally scraping them off with a used #11 X-Acto knife blade. I even shaved the antennae with an X-Acto knife to make it thinner and more pointed, more like an MG kit's antennae.

It's been a rainy week so finding an ideal day for painting outdoors was rather hard. Pylox spray lacquer has toxic fumes that need to be ventilated well away from my lungs. Once I did, I got around to starting the painting. I managed to paint the torso white and the shield Oxford blue before I had to go somewhere. It, I suppose, was a bit too bright for the dark blue armor pieces on the Duel Gundam, but it will do the job.

Before I continue, though, I think I'll need to invest in a face mask with activated charcoal filters to avoid ingesting toxic lacquer thinner fumes.
===

I found out I probably didn't do as well in the SALETAX midterms as I'd hoped. Sigh. Managed to bag an 83 in the first quiz though. Still, that midterm's a very heavy indication of my future: it's 25% of the final grade. Crap.
===

Took the Procter & Gamble pre-employment test the other Friday. It was a tricky test but wasn't that hard. The biggest enemy I had was the lack of time. I managed to finish with only 2 minutes to spare.

Even better, I managed to pass.

My transcript, resume and application forms are now at the Office of Career Services in school. By next week I'll find out what I have to do afterwards. I sure hope this is favorable.

===
I'm inviting everyone to go watch the DLSU Pops Orchestra in its concert "Spotlight: The Repeat" on Wednesday, 1:00-2:30 pm at the Teresa Yuchengco Theater, De La Salle University. Tickets are PhP75 apiece and I guarantee you will not be disappointed.

Urged on by my acquaintances in MechaPinoy and the GundamOfficial User Forums, I finally decided to begin painting my Gundam model kits.

I still had a lot of questions to ask the more experienced model makers, and I felt like I was asking the same things over and over. Handbrush or spraycans? (An airbrush is out of the question because of financial reasons.) Acrylic, lacquer or enamel paint? Tamiya, Citadel, Pylox or Gunze Sangyo? One solid coat or a lot of thin ones? How much is the ratio of thinner to paint? How long does said paint take to dry or cure? Do I use primer or not? Do I sand the plastic, wash it with soap, do both or none?

Last Saturday I finally decided on handbrushing enamel paints on one of my simplest kits, a 1/144 AMF-101 DINN from Gundam SEED---so simple it doesn't even have elbow and knee joints. I went to Lils Futaba to buy 10cc Tamiya enamel bottles (gloss purple, flat white and thinner) and a #3 Tamiya brush. Damage: about PhP350 with the mixing palette.

It was disastrous.

I hated how the thinner always ended up on my fingers in an oily mess whenever I tried transferring it to the palette. I hated how painting the lavender plastic wings white was a huge chore. I tried painting a thin coat, it barely colored anything white; I tried painting a thick coat, I could see very clear brushmarks (a no-no). I hated cleaning up afterward in my frustration, almost making a purple mess out of the bathroom sink while I emptied my palette.

I basically felt like I wasted my money. Ralph of MechaPinoy told me not to take it too hard, that I should try again. I probably will if I have more money to spend. Right now my kits probably are better off as bare polystyrene and ABS. Sigh...
===

Or maybe I should have saved a little harder for Pylox spraycans. Hmmmm.

Cost of the kits aside, this is an expensive hobby I got into.

That SALETAX midterm wasn't all that tough, but I bet I'm going to have some boo-boos on my answer sheet. It's those little technicalities in the Law of Sales that catch me off-guard.

Took the global test for Procter & Gamble too. In retrospect, 65 minutes was just right for the rather challenging 50-item test they cooked up, and it was a lot less draining than the Accenture pre-employment test. I'm going to find out if I have a future there on Tuesday. I hope.

I didn't have MARKEVE and BUSIPOL today so I made good use of the time by taking the test and going around the Job Expo one last time. Rachel, Tantan, Leia and I---thesismates who call ourselves "The Impressives" after a recurring comment on some of our resumes---asked around for any OJT opportunities for September, our final term, and it's good we picked up a few.
===

Wilson Lee Flores had a piece on his regular Sunday column about reasons why he isn't willing to migrate, despite his Canadian girlfriend's insinuations.

Most of the stuff he said was true, in hindsight, and I now understand why Uncle Butch and Auntie Carole had felt a little jealous about us. In the Philippines you can live like a virtual king even if you don't have a king's treasury (due to cheap labor). There's real opportunity in developing/underdeveloped countries like ours in terms of business. There's also a greater chance of keeping a job here.

Suffice it to say I'm not as fired up with migrating as I used to be. There's always that money problem getting in the way anyhow.

Surprise, surprise.

Received my test results from BUSIPOL and MARKPUB and I was honestly delighted to see that I got 4.0s on both. That grade was the farthest thing from my mind.

Now if only my upcoming midterm for SALETAX gets me a similarly high result...which I doubt!
===

This week's Job Expo is on its second day and I've managed to reserve myself a slot for Procter and Gamble's employment test on Friday.

I attended the one last February and I think that one was a bit better than this recent event. I guess the timing of the February expo is a little better matched because it's close to graduation season...which doesn't really exist in DLSU.
===

It looks like it'll take some time before I can get started with painting. I'll have to buy a basic set of brushes, a fine one, a few paints and thinners and a palette.

It just so happens I'll have to use rally-infested Ayala Avenue to get to my usual hobby shop. Damn it.

Despite the great results I've had building the Zeta Plus model kit, I decided to dismantle it into sub-assemblies and put it aside in its box. There are more seam lines on the finished model than I'd like, some edges have rough excess plastic "flash" that I'd like to smooth and sand down, and lately I've been contemplating hand-painting my Gundam models---even just an enamel or acrylic wash for detailing the panel lines.

I suppose painting my existing models would be cheaper and keep me busy longer than going out there and buying another Master Grade kit.

I claimed my transcripts of records today in preparation for the Job Expo this week, and I computed for my cumulative grade-point average (CGPA). Am quite proud to say that I mustered a 2.97 in my 4 years' worth of grades so far.

If I work a bit harder this term I might get that CGPA up to 3. Would sure look good on my resume...

After hearing nothing but hot-headed calls for GMA to resign I heard something this afternoon that was a breath of fresh air in a sea of impulsiveness.

Ramon "RJ" Jacinto, chairman of the Rajah Broadcasting Network which brought us the infamous guerilla radio station "Radyo Bandido" in 1986 and 2001, aired a statement at 4:30 pm this afternoon.

He went straight to the point: the catcalls for GMA's resignation are PREMATURE. The pro-resignation movement is obviously a product of so many power-hungry politicians who want the presidency instantly served to them on a silver platter. Even those who have been professing their unwavering support for the President have done a quick change of heart and are now part of the opposition---how badly does that speak of their integrity? Gloria is no doubt a hardworking president, and she does listen to the recommendations made by her Cabinet members---and now these same Cabinet members resign from their posts and arrogantly tell her to do the same? What a bunch of hyprocrites!

RJ later says, let's give GMA her day in court. If she goes through the impeachment process and is proven guilty of poll fraud, then he has no question about it. But right now we are really better off playing the waiting game.

Thank God someone finally agrees with me.

For all the bullshit flying around on the newspapers and the media nowadays it's very easy to overlook that it's because of GMA's efforts that we are able to reduce our budget deficit even better than our target. The Bureau of Internal Revenue, long a stronghold of corruption, is actually beginning to taking a hardline stance against tax evaders such as politicians, actors and actresses.

What President of recent times can brag about such a feat? She is the Gov. Leonard Wood of our time---sticks out like a sore thumb, but boy does she know how to save and make money for government coffers.

While she may not be the most popular president we don't even have to like her. Let's let her do her job. If we don't like her we can simply cast our vote for somebody else in the next election.

I commend Mr. Jacinto for his sobriety in the entire matter. It takes a different breed of Manileño in these times to express something wholly against the prevailing bandwagon sentiment in Metro Manila, pushed by power-hungry politicians greedy for the presidency and leftists who'd combat any administration anyway.

After giving it some thought I came to a realization with regard to my behavior in the past couple of weeks. I guess I've grown jaded.

My zest for life isn't as strong as it used to be. I'm beginning to think and feel that things are developing in a predictable (and therefore boring) order. Day in and day out I seem to be doing the same things without much of a change in the routine.

I know I'm always trying to look for something, but it seems I've always lost sight of what it is. I can't tell whether what I'm looking for is a new friend, a new lover, a new hobby (God forbid!) or a new confidante, or God-knows-what. I know there's stability in consulting and keeping old friends but there are instances where I grow tired of their faces and voices just because they're so damn familiar. I'm looking for whatever it is that can get the spark back into my heart. Right now it seems a relationship would do just the thing, but knowing myself I've been wrong about these things time and time again.

It seems like my only driving force nowadays is music. Ever since that trip to the US I've been listening to more and more jazz and Latin music. Might as well try to save for Anton Ramos' new CD, The Chillout Project Acid Jazz.

On my way home from the Pops Orchestra's video shoot today, I was speeding along on the South Luzon Expressway as usual. I had wanted to overtake slower traffic in front of me so I changed lanes in my usual throttle-blipping manner and later made use of the clear right lane at 120 km/h.

Out of nowhere I saw a silver EE101 Toyota Corolla tailing me---literally half a foot off my rear bumper. I don't know what possessed this idiot to tail me when he had full knowledge of the speed I was carrying. What if I had braked? He wouldn't have had any advance warning, especially since braking from high speed usually washes off a lot of speed in an instant because of aerodynamic drag, regardless of the pressure on the middle pedal.

Knowing that, I had no other recourse but to up my speed. I'm pretty sure this chasing car has a smaller engine than I had, and I wasn't revving the nuts off my D15B engine to achieve my speed, so I hazarded a guess based on the Corolla's movement---this guy was trying to outrun me with all his engine's spunk. Good thing a traffic jam came along at the C5 offramp and we both slowed down. Even then, this Corolla-driving idiot cut into other cars before settling into the right lane.

Why is it that Pinoy drivers tailgate those that are travelling at illegal speeds? Quite ridiculous really. I'm not trying to race anybody on the streets (I'd rather take it to the circuit), but this asshole's ego convinces him otherwise.

While I admit 150 clicks on my speedo isn't exactly legal either, I do so knowing full well I'm not tailing anybody and that I have a clear patch of asphalt ahead. A car doing 150 km/h on a wide open lane is less of a danger than a car tailgating someone else at 80.

On my fifth and final year in college I have learned a timely lesson.

I've learned how to become mean.

I've learned how to assert myself on other people and become selfish. I've learned how to be an asshole to people I don't feel like helping out whom I know will simply use my knowledge for their own ends and do nothing else afterward.

Why should I care about what happens to my friends who do nothing to help themselves? I am their friend, not their slave. I'd like to make that crystal-clear.

Today I was home pretty early, due to having just one class.

After napping out in the afternoon I was surprised to hear my cellphone ringing (it's usually silent)---more so because the number on the screen wasn't a familiar one. Turns out it was a lady from Accenture Philippines telling me that I passed the pre-employment test I took at their Makati office last June 14th, and they wanted me to go there for an interview. Tomorrow morning at 9:30.

Gee, my first job interview...I couldn't go because I had class (Atty. Caoile supposedly gives a little bonus grade for perfect attendance in SALETAX). I told her maybe it would be okay if I rescheduled it for next Tuesday, when I normally have a looser sked. She was accommodating and told me she'd sort something out for me.

All in all I'm happy. Although I wasn't able to fax my other requirements until much, MUCH later (and I still haven't sent in my transcript of records because I seem to have lost my only copy), they're willing to get me for the interview at least. My only concern is that I have one more term to go---and that's on-the-job training and thesis. I wonder if they'll be willing to wait for someone who isn't free to work until January 2006.

Now that I'm in my final academic term in DLSU I just have to wonder where some of our peculiar lingo and culture came from.

One of those weird terms is "p-hole." Whenever I hear or say it I cringe. It's a truncation of the word "pigeonhole," yeah, but I have to wonder why people have to say it as such. "Just leave it in my p-hole" or "It's in my p-hole" is a common instruction of profs, referring to submission of papers or whatnot, but hearing it said brings up thoughts of the scatological kind. Ewwww.

Another thing I find irksome is the "frosh"---the supposed gender-insensitive term for freshmen. Fine, fine, the intention is there. The problem with them is that really, they have the knack of gathering as one flock in the wrong places, usually in high-traffic areas where people walk in a rush. I'm so damn tempted to tell them to get out of the way instead of saying a meek "excuse me." I've even encountered a rude group of "froshies" misuse the damn elevator in the Sports Complex. Not only are they lazy enough not to use their legs in descending just one fucking flight of stairs, they had the gall to hold me up from getting out.

I gave their ringleader a cold, hard stare and as I exited the sliding doors I indignantly yelled, "Frosh na frosh!" That was the most I could do to contain whatever ire was building up in my fist.
===

I've become confused and divided as to this whole Gloriagate thing recently.

Personally I'm willing to let her stay on as President until 2010 simply for the sake of stability and carrying out her agenda. I am deeply opposed to replacing her with someone else because that doesn't speak well of us as a nation---we'd be a real banana republic at that rate if we kept changing presidents every couple years. However, seeing as public opinion is firmly convinced that she's guilty and has serious character flaws, now I'm at two minds. I guess it means something when the DLSU System itself is now asking for GMA's resignation. It feels like muttering anything in favor of the current administration these days is a losing proposition.

Nothing is clear-cut in politics, I guess. Sigh. It gives me a headache thinking about it.
===

All's well that ends well, I suppose: After the fiasco of the US Grand Prix in Indianapolis two weeks ago, where only 6 Formula 1 cars ran the race due to Michelin's tire safety problems, the French Grand Prix at Magny-Cours was a smooth-sailing event without incident from the Michelin-shod teams.

Even though the lawsuits have been issued I still think this silly fiasco will have its aftershocks felt until the end of the season. Doubtless it tainted the entire 2005 F1 season. Whether real reform and development will be made or a rival GPWC series is hatched, only time can tell.

All that matters frankly is that motor racing fans like me enjoy great races. I guess I should watch the WRC more often now...

For FILIPI3 I had to write a short story for kids as my midterm exam.

You can imagine how I felt. Me write a story? I have so many experiences of setting out to write a story or novel but never getting past the initial enthusiasm and ultimately stumbling with writer's block. I generate great ideas but I never have been successful in threading them together coherently. To this day I have so many characters and stories that wander in the graveyard of my head as formless ghosts.

Moreover my story had to be for KIDS. If you know me, I personally don't like kids very much. How am I supposed to connect with an audience I despised?

To top it all off, I procrastinated. We had two class days off from FILIPI3 and I had to use the free time for something else.

I was able to submit my story on time this morning though. It's entitled "Ang Kagilala-gilalas na Pakikipagsapalaran ni Kapitan Kuhol" and I'm rather proud of how well it came out.

I owe the basic idea to Paul, a classmate. What if your parents were actually superheroes in disguise? The premise is nothing new---it's sort of the backbone of "The Incredibles"---but it still makes for some interesting possibilities to tell. I'll see if my story made it as one of those when Mr. Gojo Cruz returns our papers a week after with his corrections and suggested revisions.
===

Two weeks ago I claimed the MG Zeta Plus A1 kit I had reserved in Greenhills. I'm pretty darned satisfied with the end product. It's a commendably solid suit that lends itself well to transformation into an atmospheric Wave Rider without going all floppy like the MG Zeta Gundam does. It's not anywhere as articulated as the MG Strike Rouge, but I don't really mind as long as it can stand well.

I was more enthusiastic about the Zeta Plus A1's orange-and-white test color scheme than the space-use C1's dull gray one. However now that I heard the C1's also being offered in Great Toys now, with its long beam smart-gun and drop tanks, I'm starting to wonder if I should plump for it too...
===

This Gloriagate scandal shit has frankly hit the fan for me.

I'm sick and tired of hearing the opposition blab and blab about how Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo should resign. I'm not convinced anybody else can take her place for now, in terms of capability.

Besides, how dare these people brag to all and sundry that "Gloria cheated." Everybody else who's in power has more or less participated in some sort of electoral fraud. If that's not true then the ruling impression that the Philippine government is run by cheaters is still there and that means it's still a valid assumption. What's there to disprove it? "He who is without sin should cast the first stone."

I recently got struck with a 39-degree fever, a hellishly runny nose and a nasty case of the chills---hallmark symptoms of flu.

I'm still a bit weak and woozy but I'm recuperating just fine---rather amazingly at that, given that I felt really miserable the other day.
===

Being sick is boring.

Well actually, staying at home without the Internet or TV is quite boring in itself. I haven't been buying any new magazines the past 4 months or so, so I'm usually re-reading all my old issues for the umpteenth time. My PlayStation's sort of busted, as you might probably know. The lens on the CD-ROM mechanism seems to be dirty or scratched and so I'm able to play only one game. There are just so many games of Gundam Battle Assault 2 one can take, even for a big Gundam fan like me.

So I guess you can imagine how much I wanted to go to Greenhills, pay the balance and bring my Zeta Plus A1 kit home. That'll keep me busy for a good 7 hours.

Seems like I gained another friend from my blog---an 18-year-old nursing student from Las Piñas. I don't know her all that well yet but we did have a fruitful first chat. Thanks.
===

School's been proceeding quite smoothly. I have to say I'm learning a lot of things from my professors on this final academic term of mine.

MARKPUB professor Mr. Jaime Ong in particular is quite an interesting fellow. He used to work for San Miguel Corp.'s management and he has all of these anecdotes from the many businesses the firm is engaged in. The way he talks business sense really reminds me of my dad---with an easier sense of humor.

PHILPER's Ms. Natty Manauat is also quite an animated character. If my Tita Vik had leaned heavily towards the philosophy-heavy culture of Ateneo de Manila, I suppose Ms. Natty would be the result. The two of them look quite alike from some angles.

My BUSIPOL prof, Mr. Banjo Velasco, is someone I could probably call "very manly." He's tall, dark and has quite a booming voice---a combination that has a couple of my blockmates swooning over him. The man doesn't laugh---he guffaws. Because he's also had a lot of experiences in the US as a college student and in Indonesia at work, BUSIPOL class is also full of interesting stories.

I guess I'm taking note of these profs because they're quite unique and pleasurable to learn from, and it's going to be the last-ever term that I'll be in the relative comfort and stability of a classroom lecture.
===

It's in BUSIPOL that some of my thoughts on just how flawed Filipino society is are justified.

Sir Banjo uploaded the Wallace Report on our Yahoo! group---basically a 40-page condensing of all the Philippines' problems and what Mr. Wallace desperately urges government should do to improve its situation. I agree with everything he said. Our biggest enemies to effective social change are our apathy, selfishness, lack of discipline, corruption and (controversially and rightly enough!) the Catholic Church. I won't get into the nitty-gritty of the report; I suggest you download and read it yourself.

I will say, though, that we Filipinos are a pathetic lot. It took a Philippine-loving foreigner to study our culture and our problems for 30 years to rouse Filipinos like me to awareness of our situation. Couldn't we have done this same feat ourselves? Have we become so blind and tolerant to our discordant hovel that we've simply accepted the way things are, without even trying to make a difference for the better?

I feel sorry for us. I really do.

The least I could do is to forward it via e-mail to every Pinoy I know.
===

After two months of looking for it in vain, I finally found it and reserved it for my own.

I'm talking about my latest Gundam model kit obsession, the MG MSZ-006A1 Zeta Plus A1.

I had tried looking for it in America; a search for any Gundam model at all proved fruitless and frustrating, although I did find a straggler HGUC Z'gok kit in the Renton, WA Wal-Mart. I managed to find it in the last possible place I expected: Victoria, British Columbia, but there it had cost an outrageous CAN$60, plus 14% Canadian GST.

So imagine my surprise when I found it in Greenhills. I swear, that place is model kit heaven. Stores upon stores upon stores of plastic model kits, many of them the kind that I never expected to see, tucked away in a neat little alcove in Shoppesville...many of them quite cheap! Then I saw that beautiful orange and white Zeta Plus at the glass cabinet in Great Toys (couldn't find it in their Makati store) and immediately made a down payment. I'm glad to say it's my cheapest MG kit to date, at PhP1900.

I am one giddy model maker. I can't wait to pay the balance, bring it home and shut myself in my room building it.
===

I've been active on Otaku Fridge lately, writing a few anime reviews on Gundam, .hack//Legend of the Twilight and other series. I was surprised that Beia decided to make a Contributor of the Month award and I was the recipient for May. I apparently won an original release of the bishoujo game Gibo: Stepmother's Sin---not unusual considering Beia runs Hentai Neko.

Thanks, Beia. I feel really honored.

Just like that, my vacation is over.
===

We arrived in Manila last Friday at 3 am. The first thing I noticed was this thick blanket of humidity enveloping my being as I disembarked from the airplane carrying two very heavy bags...and just how hot and sticky everything suddenly felt.

Taking a minivan from the airport, we had unloaded the four boxes that we carried along with us full of our clothes, our things and the myriad giveaways to our relatives here. It was then that I noticed the full extent of the trip's damage to my body. My belly had bloated. Apparently that was where all the weight gain went.

Floating in and out of jet lag, I immediately got to work with lifting weights, jogging and eating less. I'm proud to say that less than a week after we arrived I've lost all the 5 pounds I gained, and I'm thinking of losing 10 more.
===

One thing I noticed on our way to the Duty Free Fiesta Mall is just how rowdy we Filipinos are as drivers. We are uncouth, aggressive, undisciplined and disobedient assholes in possession of two-ton weapons deadlier than guns. After getting used to the sanitized driving environment of US streets I feel as if I have to re-learn my way driving through Manila's chaos.

I did learn a few things I try to incorporate in my formerly aggressive driving style. Nowadays I try keeping to the 80 km/h SLEX speed limit. I stop longer for pedestrians and at every intersection, no longer automatically assuming the right of way. I change lanes slower and more predictably when circumstance allows. I've even given up trying to bait other cars on the highway and outrunning them.

I learned that driving is not something to get worked up about. Driving should be taken easy: you will get to your destination anyway.
===

I miss them. A lot.

I miss JB's incessant chatter and "weird kid" opinions. I miss Czasha and her sing-song way of speaking. I miss Auntie Carole's warmth and shopping sense. I miss Uncle Butch's humor, good nature and predilection for Filipino tackiness.

Just like that, the de Leon and Chaingan families live separate lives once again.
===

I was wrong about Henni Espinosa, the editor who had asked me for the article I contributed for the Filipino Examiner in San Francisco.

It turns out she no longer works there; while she's still based in San Francisco, she works for the US arm of the Manila Bulletin now as part of the marketing committee. Just before our flight home she sent 5 copies of the February tourism issue of the Filipino Insider with my article inside, as well as a copy of the Manila Bulletin USA.

Thanks for coming through, Henni.
===

This morning while having breakfast, my dad was asking me once again what I planned to do with my life after I was finished with college, especially with having two degrees under my belt. This was after he had read my article in the San Francisco monthly earlier mentioned.

I told him perhaps I would concentrate on the marketing side, thinking that it would be easier in the short term to land a job as a salesperson. Positions for communications graduates are rather thin and I made a promise never to work for the local TV stations. Surprisingly he told me otherwise.

He maintained that I should concentrate on becoming a writer---especially to aspire for a motoring journalism career, with all the perks and fringe benefits. Priority drives for new cars and international trips are indeed tempting. He also told me that out of the 12,000 students in DLSU, how many would have proficient experience in marketing? Anyone could learn how to sell. The simple act of selling newspapers or fishballs is already an application of marketing. How many, in contrast, would have the same skill as I do with writing? He claims not more than 10% would have my proficiency.

He made a lot of sense.

I told him I sent my provisional resume to Henni on Uncle Butch's suggestion. He told me to send my resume to the local news dailies as well.
===

This final academic term of mine's turning out as a pretty interesting one. I have an honest-to-goodness Filipino writer as professor for FILIPI3, a hardened PR practitioner and shrewd Chinese pundit of a professor for MARKPUB, and a subject called MARKEVE---where, at the end of the term, we can truly say yes to the increasingly prevalent job interview question "Have you ever handled events?"

Haven't been able to post much, but the past 5 days I've been staying with Uncle Bobby, Tita Susan (Uncle Butch's sister), their daughter Belle and their dog Teddy in Maple Valley, Washington State---a few miles from Seattle.

Washington is very different from California. It's consistently a lot colder but ironically I find it more comfortable here than in South Pasadena. This is coming from someone who usually gets chilled very quickly. It's akin to going to the province in the Philippines, going to Baliwag in Bulacan, although the urban sprawl of Seattle and Everett isn't so far away and discipline is even better instilled in the citizenry. Crossing the US-Canada border and making it to Victoria or Vancouver in British Columbia isn't too hard either---just leave or eat whatever Canadian meat before going back across the border.

If I were to live in America, Seattle would be a pretty nice place to stay. That much I'd say.
===

With respect to that last sentence, I meant it. I had doubts before coming over to the US about my ability to survive here. But having spent the past month, I find it's probably an adventure and a change of pace worth trying out. It's only been a month, I know, but I find it very difficult to say goodbye to the nice sights, to the very wonderful Filipinos residing here (whether in San Francisco, South Pasadena or Maple Valley), the higher wage rates and the prospect of a better life here without the abject hopelessness I feel back home.

I told Tita Susan that I'd probably go back to live in the US. I'd like to finish what little is left of my college degree, attain good financial standing and make arrangements for the permanent big leap across the Pacific pond---ideally before I turn thirty. It might be hard, but I'm quite convinced it'd be worth it.
===

My dad had told us to weigh ourselves before flying Stateside, and compare such weights with what figures the scale would yield by the time we went back on the 20th. Right now I don't think I need to do that.

Eating out all the time has taken a toll on my weight. I had gained some weight in the Philippine summer already, leaving at 170 lb., but I gained a further 4 pounds here, mostly from misjudging how big the American servings are and eating in restaurants all the time. I had fears and frustrations of uncontrollably gaining weight during my stay, but I realized that it's not as hopeless as I thought it would be.

Having exercised what little degree of control I could have on my diet (our hosts are taking us out to restaurants 80% of the time), and with a meager amount of physical activity a day, I managed to lose 2 lb. without much fuss. Of course it'd take me a lot more effort, discipline and reinforcement to bring myself back to my ideal weight vis-a-vis my height (150 lb. to my best knowledge), but having physical fitness isn't too bad a goal either.

Having so many relatives and friends in California, there's an inevitable question that rears its head in the whole scheme of things. Would I have any plans of moving to and living in the United States?

Truth be told, I've been mulling it over since I first got here in 1997. I used to be a bit sure back then that I'd spend my life in the Philippines. But now I'm giving the matter more thought than before.

Living in America sure is tempting. Driving seems so sanitized compared to back home that I'd have to relearn the ropes just so I could pass as a legal driver here. Sure, things seem expensive but minimum wage is US$6.75 an hour---a lot more than what I'd get in the Philippines. I'm doubtful if headhunters will be willing to get someone who'd graduated from De La Salle University Manila though---with not much on-the-job experience.

I'd have to become a bit more thick-skinned, too. Seeing how Americans like to push their liberties from the First Amendment, I'm bound to see and hear some offensive things directed at me, not least of which is directed to the color of my skin and none of my fault. Apparently racial discrimination is still alive and well in North America.

I'll have to say goodbye to some things I hold dear back home---my friends, my extended family, my little AVON sales sideline, my little blue dented Honda and my anime knick-knacks. Might as well say goodbye to some bad memories of home too.

So what's the final verdict? I'm not so sure. I guess I'll be equally as happy if I lived back home or here in California. I have a semblance of a social support network in place on both shores anyway so I'll never be all that lonely.
===

One thing I have to say though...if I do move to America, I'd better steer clear of eating in restaurants all the time. I've gained 4 pounds from all this eating out---and always because we misjudge how big the portions get here. Crap.
===

A couple interesting lines from a recent conversation.

Me:
Funny how, despite all this new and developing technology on our hands, we tend to use it first and foremost on sex-related things.

Uncle Butch:
Well, when it comes down to it, we're all just animals.

Two weeks into my vacation in the United States and I've had a relative blast so far.

Earlier than expected was the trip to San Francisco, where we met Auntie Nelly, Auntie Doris, Josie and Dorothy, Uncles Erick and Virgil, Nicky, Christian, David, Stephanie and all our very extended family at 1450 Cayuga Avenue. They took us to some very memorable sights: the Niebaum-Coppola vineyard at Napa Valley, scenic seaside Sausalito and the Golden Gate Bridge, to name just a few. (Thanks to all of you guys!) On the way there we were also fortunate enough to get to Santa Barbara and Solvang, Fisherman's Wharf, Monterey Bay and Carmel-by-the-Sea.

Going there we took what would be just about my favorite road ever: California's Highway 1. It's a typical American freeway until you get to Big Sur and where the road just transforms itself into a tight and twisty mountain pass which I'm sorry to say I was not able to drive through. And man is it scenic! It's around 20 miles of road full of mountains, cliffs and the sea. The twistiest local route, Baguio's Kennon Road, simply pales in comparison. I swear, when I get to California once again and I get to rent (or own!) something decent to drive, that road's going to be one of my priority destinations.
===

This past month I've enjoyed the company of my Uncle Butch most of all. Apart from being our host for the vacation month, he's been working overtime to make sure the three of us enjoy our vacation to the fullest. It simply goes without saying that he's a very funny guy, but I'm also amazed at how well he seems to handle all his responsibilities and still keep a smiling face at day's end. He knows just when to be serious and when to let loose and have a little fun.

Regular readers of this blog know that Tita Vik's my favorite aunt...well, Uncle Butch has to be my favorite uncle hands down.
===

Speaking of letting loose and having fun, Uncle Butch took me to a different kind of fun two nights ago.

[inhibition off]

May 1 was pretty much my first ever visit to a strip club, somewhere in Beverly Hills. Being the newbie, I was told that having my gentlemen's club cherry popped here than in the Philippines would be better because the strippers here literally take it all off, not like the supposed half-assed shit back home.

When we did get there...well, I suppose I was underwhelmed. I'm no stranger to seeing women in the buff, but although the dance routines were new, ultimately they're a waste of money when you sit back and really think about it. You get to see girls of various races and sizes, dancing around poles and stripping their clothes to the benefit of the guy who gives them the fattest wad of dollars. The girls will tease you and offer to do a private lap dance or two, but they're just doing their thing---a carefully orchestrated and disguised art of making men part with their money. Big deal. It's not like they're necessarily going to bed with any customers or anything.

Uncle Butch himself says if I made a habit out of them, they really are just a waste of money. It's just his custom to take his male visitors out to these "female anatomy classes"---when they're legal, of course. I suppose there's wisdom in that. I don't see myself frequenting strip clubs myself in the near future either...they're just not worth doing so.

[inhibition on]
===

I should really stop being a willing contributor to strangers who want the work of my brains published for their benefit. In the past 10 or so contributions I've done I've received credit for just two of them so far. Age hasn't changed a thing.

Three months ago I willingly donated my Intramuros article and photos to what seemed to be a legit editor of some Filipino section of a San Francisco daily newspaper. I was promised credit for the article and a free copy of the issue it gets published in.

Two days before I left San Francisco, I tried looking for that newspaper. Apparently someone was lying to me. There was no person working with that name, and no Filipino section. Ohhhh-kay.

I was mildly disappointed, but it's not like I've been fooled like this before. Sigh.

I'm posting from my cousin's house in South Pasadena, CA where we'll be fighting off the effects of jet lag before we act out on our planned itinerary...or at least what we can follow of it.

The flight was pretty smooth, I'd say. It was a boring 12 hours as most people were asleep, but I'm pretty sure most of us airline passengers would take calm and boring over uncomfortably exciting any day. The US customs and immigration officers that took care of us were some of the nicest people, although I did notice that they in general tend to be overweight. Hmmm. Probably one of thr fringe benefits of confiscating undeclared food items?

Jet lag's still working on me though. The other night I was asleep for all of 3 hours, and I was up at a ridiculous 4 am waiting for the sunrise. I got a similar situation now: it's 1:42 am and I'm awake after having been asleep on and off for 6 hours. Looks like I'll be stupidly waiting for another sunrise at this rate. Apparently I have the knack for awakening when everyone else is going to bed.

It's just great seeing Czasha and JB again. We were out on lunch at California Pizza Kitchen in Old Town and I saw a more mature Czasha while we were talking about stuff in general. She's really gotten the elder sister act down pat, I'd say. JB meanwhile is the same gamer guy he's been, although he's also grown over the past few years---probably more so than I'd like, but hey, that's his life. His front teeth had been punched in by some juvenile delinquent who was jealous about him seeing a former girlfriend...talk about violent huh?

That's it for now, I guess. I'll be posting as much as I can.

Finally the big day has come.

Our flight's leaving at around 9 pm tonight. And here I was thinking that it'd be tomorrow, all this time. Perhaps I'm a wee bit underwhelmed at the prospect of actually going to North America's West Coast for vacation.

This probably means I'll be off my blog for a month. I'm not sure when I can be able to go online as the itinerary seems to call for a different destination every week. I'll try, but I won't count on it. I have no idea what the density of Internet cafes is in Vancouver, South Pasadena or San Francisco.
===

Honestly I have my little fears of flying, mostly brought about due to the documentaries I've watched on NGC or Discovery about how things on a plane can go wrong. When I board the plane later, I guess it's all up to the Man Above for 16-odd hours.

I also have not-so-unfounded fears of gaining weight when I'm there. Goodness, Americans have the most fattening foods---a fact I realized when I came back from a similar trip 8 years ago. Right now I'm just a bit overweight for my frame; I'm at 168 lbs. That's going to be a point of reference for me later. I do hope I get to maintain it.

It's funny how some things don't seem to change, even after years and years.

Mela and Mark had organized a little quasi-reunion of us Honor Section students from high school Friday night at Dencio's Sucat. For such an informal gathering, a lot of us were in attendance---there were easily more than 25 of us on the two tables. And man, was it noisy in there. I would imagine the atmosphere to be a bit more restrained as many of the erstwhile Honors Section went to Ateneo or UP for schooling, and those campuses aren't really far from each other. Was I proven dead wrong or what?

The same people were hanging out with the same posses and cliques, just like in high school. Apart from a few faces most of us looked exactly the same, apart from some weight gained or lost. Some couples that began in high school were even still intact---quite admirable, I should say. Our two Denises were already newly employed, too.

Denden was in her first week working as a financial analyst in a bank (I just forgot which one), and it seems she was enjoying herself despite confiding that most of the stuff she encounters in the office flies by over her head. Knowing her, I'm pretty sure she'll work it out in a month. She did say that she was planning to stay for just a year, then move on to another job.

Patrick had become valedictorian---I suppose that really shouldn't come as a surprise, given people were badgering him to forget studies and work on girls this time around. Most of us had already graduated already, save for the DLSU people and others who began their medicine courses in other colleges.

I did notice some...er, changes, more in me than in them. I noticed that for once I'd become more relaxed with just being myself, without feeling I had to get everyone's attention somehow. I was content with talking to just a small coterie of friends. Also noticed that some old crushes back then didn't hold a candle to the bevy of beauties from DLSU. I think these are proof that I lived in a very small world back in high school---one that revolved around the school way too much.

I'm glad I got to see these old friends again. Still, I have to say I prefer college life more. I had made better and more lasting friendships in my four years in DLSU than I did in thirteen years of DLSZ.

By the way Marmar mentioned that all of us Honors Section students had become relics: the program had been canceled, along with many of the lessons we used to study.
===

The next morning I was in Alabang playing badminton with Benjie, Grace, Francis and Marmar.

I have to say I was impressed with Benjie and Francis in particular. They were moving really well, performing consistently good drop shots and well-aimed smashes. Grace and Marmar were competent players as well. With a little more training we'd all be better at the sport. I was even inviting them to the DLSZ Alumni Association badminton tourneys, which I once joined---just for fun.

After 7 months of not playing my body aches and hurts all over, but that's my fault.
===

Mela was particularly excited about Friday's reunion.

While chatting on YM we were mulling over what would happen in the near future. She told me she was a bit scared that people had very high expectations of her, as if it had been predetermined that if it's from Mela it should be really good.

I was in turn scared about what would happen when we graduated from college. We've taken for granted that there would be something more or less sure to look forward to in the past, such as grade school expecting to get into high school, or high school on to college. After college however, the chaos factor plays a greater role simply because we're literally on our own, left to our own devices and free to do what we please---of course, within the limits of time and finances. That just means that there's more uncertainty thrown in---and that's unsettling for me. That comes with having to adjust to a new grind, different from what we've been used to for the past 17 or so years.

Perhaps there was a reason why you organized this reunion, I told her. Maybe it's because you wanted a place you could go back to if and when things go wrong. In hindsight the problem of that analogy would be that this "place" is nothing more than a loose collection of people, all with their own agenda to follow and lives to live, so going back there also has a chaos factor thrown in too.

At the reunion Aimee seemed to read my mind in advance and had an ingenious answer: an e-group for all of us. So much for that chaos factor. Heheheh.
===

Just when I had vowed to save money and not spend on anything major until I had financed my total debt to AVON, along comes a MAHQ.net review of the Master Grade Zetaplus A1/C1 model kit that had me wondering where to get one. (And here I was thinking that I'd restrict myself to an MG Nu Gundam for Christmas, or an HG 1/100 Gundam Astray Red Frame for kicks.) I was pleased to hear that the transformation mechanisms were more solid this time, thanks to tighter manufacturing tolerances for the parts and screws provided for the legs' interior assemblies. I wonder how long I'd take to build it though.

Looking for an MG Zeta Gundam had become hard enough---what more for the Zetaplus? I will ask around and find one.
===

April 22 can't come too soon. Los Angeles, here I come.

Despite the finals not going too well, I'm just glad the term is over. I'm not gunning for Dean's List status any more; I'll be perfectly happy if I can pass my subjects. Besides I already have two 3.0s from MARKNAL and MARKPRO that will surely pull up my term GPA to a decent level.
===

With summer comes another traditional problem: boredom. And it's at its worst level this year. My PlayStation's CD-ROM lens seems busted so I'm able to play just two games, and that gets boring pretty quickly. I'm also short of cash and I'm no longer willing to spend what remains in my savings. People haven't been paying me their dues on time, and whatever payment does come in, I have to reserve to pay for my outstanding debts at AVON. With gas prices at an all-time high I'm also discouraged to drive anywhere, and my car's aircon system needs work.

Oh well. April 22 can't come soon enough.
===

What's happening on the 22nd? I'll be in the US and Canada for a month. I've had to put off joining a Pops Orchestra summer outing in Bataan on the 16th for that one. That means meeting up with my cousins Czasha and JB again. Cool. Am particularly interested in how JB's grown up. The last time I saw him around 3 years ago, he was a pre-teen...and at this point in time pre-teens grow quite quickly.

A part of our trip entails going to Seattle and Vancouver too---a couple of places I've never been to. We're probably taking a bus going there. Shucks, I was hoping it would be a real road trip. Oh well.
===

After course card distribution on Friday, Mela planned a little get-together for all of us ex-Honor Section people back in high school.

While I said I'd come, I'm not sure how this kind of thing would turn out. I'll be lying if I said I missed all of them, because quite frankly I'm one of those people who enjoyed college more than high school---simply because I made better friends in DLSU than I did in DLSZ. There's also the matter of meeting a few old flames once again, some that probably have to be reduced to ashes at this point in my life.

Well, we'll see.
===

Suddenly every site I see on the Web is offering some sort of blog facility. Yahoo 360, Friendster, LiveJournal...what's the deal with all of these copycats?

I dunno. Despite being the simple no-frills site that it is, I'm still hooked on the original Blogger.
===

Decided to return to OB after a long hiatus. After all the fights and rumors and petty squabbles and power-grabbing moves I still have feelings for the friends I'd made there.

As for those old enemies of mine who are still there...let's just say I'm haunting them. I'm just glad OB returned to its quaint old hangout, 80% devoid of Ragnarok Online mania.

Summer is definitely here...and it's not very welcome. It's turned scaldingly hot all of a sudden. Driving with my windows cracked open and my aircon off, in the interest of saving fuel, just isn't a good idea anymore.

This excruciating heat coupled with some ill-adjusted home aircon turned up to freezing left me with the massive head cold and flu I have now. It's perfectly bad timing too because this is finals week and I'm sick.

There's so much stuff left to do...all I want to do is get this term over with and recuperate.
===

I'm pretty low on cash too. People owe me a lot of money and they haven't been paying on time. Sigh.

Gotta get around to buying my long-planned present for my dad's birthday...
===

An old crush of mine, whom I parted with in not-so-pleasant fashion, apparently returned to our old roost recently---which I no longer frequent. Apparently she's getting married soon and has her own kid. I'm told she's mellowed down as well.

Mellowed down, my ass. She probably still has that hatchet with my name on it.

Let's see how it feels having your own glamor working against you, bitch.

Met and interviewed Marge tonight for our MARKPRO final project: a product marketing plan. She happened to be another of Denise's many friends and I found her really nice, warm and hospitable. Even invited me to a little game of badminton one Saturday with friends.
===

People averse to tape recorders while having interviews. This was new.

I found it rather odd, at the very least. Personally I felt it was great for getting the interviewee at ease, without having to contend with a writer scribbling away and not devoting his/her full attention to the subject at hand.

Apparently some people just aren't comfortable with hearing their voices on tape and how differently they sound...but hey, I was like that too. Took me a while to get used to listening to my voice through the air instead of rattling through my bones.

Whatever suits the interviewee, I say...

After all our endless fretting over a successful major concert last Saturday night, it was time for Pops to finally let loose and relax over the spoils of the schoolyear. That would officially happen on the summer outing sometime in April, but Pops being Pops it was never too early to get started---which we did last Friday at Karen's 19th birthday party.

Thanks to that event, I got acquainted with two more Gundam fans in Pops, sampled some of the best tofu and mushrooms I've ever tasted, sang my heart out on old-school videoke with Pops alumni Oliver and Eric, and generally had a great time which unfortunately had to end too soon.

Lala informed me that the outing was tentatively scheduled around April 16-19 at Lake Caliraya. I hope the date doesn't change so I can catch up before leaving for Los Angeles on the 22nd. Can't wait.

At least I have a lot to look forward to this summer, after all the hassle of this term ends.
===

Oddly, I didn't enjoy the HCP EB the next day all that much. I felt I would have rather just completed buying the things I need to make my dad's birthday present. Before going to Karen's I dropped by Special Toy Center in Festival Mall to buy an Academy pin vise...which was surprisingly expensive. It's a solid little thing made of steel, so it's probably a long term investment for serious modellers, although I couldn't fit the 1.0mm drill bit into the 1.0-1.5mm socket for some reason.

That evening I saw "Chicken Rice War," a Singaporean movie made in 2000. Having had some 'exposure' to Singaporean culture from former Autocar ASEAN hacks David Ting, Simon Hulber, Kwee Hon Jin and co. (where on earth are these guys now?!), I was delighted to see Singlish and 'talking cock' in action on the small screen. The movie's a simple one, obviously patterned on Romeo and Juliet, but it's endearing and cute enough to keep one entertained and laughing.

It's seriously cool, in its quirky kind of way.
===

My car needs TLC and fast. I feel guilty for leaving it to 'rot' with worn tie-rod and rack ends, a faulty air-conditioner compressor and all these dents and scratches on the Sapphire Blue bodywork. I'm itching to get a cheap, decent amplifier and front separates too for the audio system. Then again I'm not privy to enough personal money to get these kinks repaired, and people know how I frown on asking money from my parents or anyone else. It doesn't help that my sales haven't been doing too good either.

What's a cash-strapped college dude to do? I guess I'll have to wait till I get employed.

The major concert may be over and done (quite successfully I might say), but there are still so many things that need my attention within the next two weeks. Most of them are academic.

Quite frankly I've lost interest in finishing anything, at least for today. Lately it's seemed I've run out of steam and vigor for studying. I guess the culture of apathy and general laziness of my Marketing major classes has gotten to me.

To make a long story short, I generally don't feel all that great nowadays. I'm always pissed off, burnt out and fretting about so many things, and it gets to the point where I become confused as to what I should do. I need a break.
===

You are a star, beautiful and bright
Shining magically on the jet black stage
You fill people's hearts with a myriad emotions
Glee, sadness, laughter and love
I have watched you all these years
How I longed to grasp your light
Be part of it and share it to a new age
Years have gone, and I am no longer fit
Now I am a part of you, yet I am also not
I toil and persevere to give you your chance
Yet I still just admire you from afar
Wondering how much have things changed
I still lie in the dark, watching
Bittersweet dreams never realized

This song is what my mind's been made of lately.

Wala na akong makita sa iyong mga mata
Dati rati'y isang tingin mo lang alam ko na
Bakit ngayon ika'y nababalot sa kulay ng hatinggabi
Nagtatanong, nangangarap na ika'y magisnang muli
Kung may bagyo o kung tag-araw
Sa iyong damdamin

Sana ay makilala kang muli, tulad ng dati
Halika at lumapit kang muli, tulad ng dati

Wala na akong maramdaman sa iyong mga kamay
Dati rati'y isang hawak ko lang, alam ko na
Alam ko na
Kung may bagyo o kung tag-araw sa iyong damdamin

Sana ay makilala kang muli, tulad ng dati
Halika at lumapit kang muli, tulad ng dati...

--- The Dawn, "Tulad ng Dati"

I wonder if they have a new album out? Been ages since I bought any new music CDs.
===

I'd like to invite all of you guys to watch the DLSU Pops Orchestra's major concert, "Spotlight on the Red Carpet" featuring award-winning songs from major genres. It'll be at the AFP Theater, Camp Aguinaldo, Quezon City, tomorrow night at 7pm. Tickets are priced at PhP180.

I promise you will not be disappointed. :D
===

All our efforts in this final week seem to have amounted to nothing. Despite that Rachel was still her energetic, take-charge self...until our final committee meeting last Wednesday.

This was the first time I remember seeing her breaking down in tears, apparently something she seldom did. I felt that young as she was (she's almost three years younger than I am), Rachel had one of the most admirably strong personalities I've ever seen. She isn't one to buckle under pressure until it was totally, utterly hopeless. The dreadful thing is, all of us---myself included---contributed to that hopelessness. No matter how hard we tried, we couldn't secure anything.

Seeing her cry made all my fluttering misery feel infinitesimally small, yet the same message just pervaded my soul. I let her down.

She did not cry for long however. Within 5 minutes she was back, prodding us to think up ways of earning any extra money at the risk of turning the event into a fairground.

Rachel Quinto, simply because of your impeccable strength of character, you are my role model. I pray I can get anywhere near as patient and as tough as you are.

I'm not an especially happy man right now.

All my efforts and I managed to raise nil for Pops' upcoming major concert. All my efforts and I still had to trade bumper paint with an overzealous passing truck's spare tire. All my efforts at lifting weights and trying to eat right but I'm heavier than I've ever been. All my efforts at trying to earn my own money and yet it always feels as if I never have enough because new expenses on my part crop up like bad fungi. All my efforts at trying to be happy and yet I've become so burnt out and maniacal that I've actually turned to the tarmac as the object of my anger.

What the hell do I have to do to turn things around?!

I've been nominated recently for the Cultural Arts Office (CAO) Awards as "most promising managing member of a performing group" (namely Pops). This coming Monday I'm supposed to come in business attire at the CAO for my interview at 2 pm.

While I am very honored about the nomination, I feel that I have to forfeit my slot. Past accomplishments are all well and good, and they will be the locus of the panel's questions. However with my relative ineptitude in raising any sponsorships for the major concert, I feel as if joining the race for this award will be hypocritical.

I feel I don't deserve this award, yet I know that racking up credentials for a good resume is important.
===

Getting angry with yourself isn't the best feeling in the world.

I'm trying Mozilla Firefox for the first time. Damn it's sweet!

Some pages like HCP look a bit funny (all text is center-aligned for some reason) but the greater ease of use offsets that. I feel I'll have to unlearn some stuff I got used to with IE6 though.
===

I'll be going to the Manila City Jail tomorrow to interact with political prisoners as part of my RELSFOR advocacy work for TFDP.

Honestly, despite the honorable aim of the organization I can't help but feel a little scared about tomorrow. Then again I've been scared about a few other things lately.
===

First and foremost would be the looming major concert for Pops. While I did succeed in securing Yehey! as our online media sponsor, I haven't been as successful in getting other cash sponsors. That wouldn't be so bad in itself, but no one else among the Marketing team has had any success either so we're feeling the pressure mounting.

I have to wonder how much of this is our fault and how much is due to force majeure. Speaking for my assigned industry (automotive), only Toyota has had any progress with releasing new models that it might want to promote, like the Hilux pickup and Innova AUV/wagon. Our sponsor last year, Honda, seems to have gone defensive from their enthusiastic media blitz with the Jazz. They're probably opting to wait out this year, empty their stocks and get ready for the release of the 2006 model year Civic. I can't find Mitsubishi's contact info, which is sad because they did release their Grandis MPV and the Montero Sport SUV.

Wednesday is judgment day...
===

Second would be my grades. I haven't been doing as well with my major subjects. While I might be blamed for all these other orgs and hobbies I chose to get into, I have serious reservations about how my classmates in Marketing are behaving.

Simply put I don't like the way my Marketing major classes feel like a circus 8 times out of 10. No one listens to any reports. No one takes the lessons seriously. It's always a din of noise that fights with the professors for the attention of the students---and the pandemonium always wins. The only things my younger classmates seem to care about are the upcoming Bangkok international exposure trip and finding ways to keep their grades good without massaging their brains.

Something has to be wrong when the Marketing Management majors score poorly in the same International Marketing midterm exam that was aced by Business Management students two years our junior.
===

Lastly I'm getting very confused with what I have to do with my life...thanks to RELSFOR.

We have these readings from "The Universe Story" and "The Great Work" as our weekly assignment. Basically they're all about how mankind should be the steward of nature and of all creation, not its master. Unfortunately we've been acting as if we're the only ones that matter in this world---everything that's non-human is of value to us only when we can use it.

Our major institutions---the government, the corporation, the university and the religious congregations---are all fostering and perpetuating this destructive lifestyle of humans living only for themselves and not for others, as well as all which is non-human. (Strange to learn from a Religion class that religion is indeed one of the ills of the world, and my professor's a real priest.) We're consuming resources at an alarming rate. We're plundering the lands and seas which should remain with the fragile ecosystems of plants and animals that ultimately maintain the world's order and keep it a viable place to live in.

In a nutshell, our lavish profit-driven lifestyle, which gives all rights to humans and none to the non-human, is destroying the Earth. We'll have to give up some of our frivolous unnecessary desires if only to ensure that we have an Earth to reside in for the long term.

Yet looking at all my subjects this term, it seems like RELSFOR is running contrary to the lessons being taught by BUCOTAX (taxation, part of the legal system), my Marketing majors (business and profit), and FINAMA2 (financial management, which is ditto).

I'm suddenly questioning the value of all the things I'm learning. Of the four institutions, it is supposedly the university that is the only agent which can turn this destructive tide of human consumption around, and help people realize that we are not conquerors of the universe and the Earth---rather, we are part of it.

Perhaps that teaching career people suggested is my life's calling...?

I was supposed to go to the Task Force Detainees of the Philippines (TFDP) office today to drop in on the introductory orientation of what we're supposed to do for the advocacy work portion of our RELSFOR class. Taking the MRT to Cubao was easy enough, but when I tried looking for landmarks on Aurora Blvd. things started to get messy.

I spent a good hour walking around in circles in the 9:00am summer heat, trying to find my bearings. It was then that I realized that I was on the wrong side of Aurora Blvd. I had to cross EDSA.

My sense of direction apparently fouls up at times. If it hadn't been for my classmate KG I would have probably remained lost for another hour.
===



Happy birthday chocos I got from the harana. Bianca already ate the H when I took this.

Happy birthday to me! :D
===

I've got so much to write about but very little time to do so. Shucks. So far though it's been a great week in general. I hope it stays that way.
===

I got an unexpected surprise this afternoon. I was confused with Anna ordering me to stand by the tree at the corner of the Central Plaza. As it turns out that was because someone had a harana for me as a birthday present---courtesy of the DLSU Pops Orchestra.

Man, I was surprised and rather embarrassed being the center of attention in this way---I had thought I would be the one to request a harana, not be on the receiving end of one. But it really made my birthday extra special. I was also given letter-shaped chocolates that spelled out "Happy Birthday JM." I'll post pictures of them later.

My boss Rachel, as it turns out, did this for me on behalf of Pops. Awwww. Thanks.

We got to watch "Shall We Dance" at Rockwell the other night.

Pretty nice film, really. The story is rather mundane on its own, which leaves the actors to do a good job of fleshing out the memorable characters that carry the movie. No one among the main characters is left unnoticed, and by the time the film ends we feel as if we've known them a long time.

Apparently a big reason why the film works that well is because it's a remake of a Japanese film of the same title. Due credit however goes to Richard Gere, Jennifer Lopez and Stanley Tucci who give a sentimental yet comic performance here.
===

I particularly like one of the quotes of Susan Sarandon's character Beverly. Paraphrased:
"Why do we get married? It's because we want someone to be a witness to our mundane lives."
===

I've lost all possible reason to go to Robinsons Place Manila. The arcade has closed and the department store isn't all that exciting. Oh well. This will do wonders for my bank account.
===

Got an early birthday present while doing my service evaluation assignment for MARKSER: a pair of Puma Speed Cats.


They're leather non-fireproof replicas of the shoes used by Formula 1 drivers. As you can probably see, the narrow rubber sole has an intermediate tire tread pattern embossed all over it.

Despite the light off-white color being prone to stains, I love them. They're not as shock-absorbent nor as light as my Adidas Stratos badminton shoes, nor are their soles as wide, so playing badminton in this pair is out of the question. But they're comfortable enough to live with without Dr. Scholls' finest products in them.

Thanks Mom!
===

A similar shoe to the Speed Cat L is the Adidas Tuscany, which comes in leather or nylon. It's also based on Adidas' previous Monza racing boot, and has the Goodyear Eagle F1 tire tread pattern etched into the sole.



Since I had had great experiences with all their shoes I've owned over the years (excellent comfort and shock absorption is an Adidas trademark in my opinion), I decided to try the Tuscany pair on this evening to see how it compared to the heretofore untested Pumas.

The Tuscany had a wider, more accommodating outsole, but had a pronounced "spine" that ran along the length of the sole, which felt rather weird on my feet as I tried a few steps and hops. As a result the normally comfortable insoles felt a bit inadequate. The Speed Cats may have less comfortable insoles but the shoe in its entirety is just easier to live with. Given the same size (my feet are 9s) they fit better too.

Traffic was simply atrocious today.

It was as if the fates had conspired in secret just to make all the roads and highways tangled, clogged and messed up on this one day. This conclusion I had arrived at because I could figure no other reason as to why exactly the traffic was THAT bad. It's no payday and Fridays aren't usually all this crowded. It's just insane.

I'm just glad I'm home. My legs hurt from prodding the clutch all the time. My bladder hurts from holding all that urine in the driver's seat for nearly two hours. And I bet my engine's hurting from burning all that wasted gas in traffic. Shucks.

Times like these...I wish I owned a decent 400cc motorcycle. That black Honda CB400 Version S I see parked at the STRC seems like a damn fine bike...wonder how much it costs?
===

That was the LEAP alternative class I took a couple weeks ago. While we didn't really learn how to ride a bike (c'mon, how could you do that inside a classroom in Gokongwei Hall?), I got to learn important things about dealing with and tolerating bike riders who share the same roads as I do in my City. Instructors Patrick and Jake were really accommodating. I really feel like taking a class one of these days...of course, money's my perennial concern.

Interestingly there are more motorbikes than cars in the whole of the Philippines now. It's about time they had more of a say in setting public policy regarding traffic.
===

Just after the first three days in February I've sold PhP3,900 worth of AVON stuff. I think I'm getting better at this selling thing.

I just hope my clients have the mind to pay me on time because I'm not comfortable with leaving a PhP7,000 tab at the Remedios office.
===

The Job Expo has yet again come...and gone.

The prospect of getting employed, even just as a part-time employee or on OJT, kind of appeals to me already. It's just too bad that it looks like I'll be somewhere else during the summer break and I have two more terms to go before I'm free. All I'm left with is an incomplete (and now useless) transcript of records and a flawed resume.

What a shame. I already got application forms from Toyota Motor Phils. Corp. and Rustan Coffee Corp. (aka the local Starbucks franchise), but I didn't get to send them in. I did manage to get a hold of Toyota's PR supervisor's fax number though. Thought I could send a sponsorship proposal their way.
===

Crap, I'm getting old. I'll be 22 next week.

I'm not entirely sure if it's cause for celebration.

This term's beginning to feel like an exact replica of the last. The same sort of demands are made on me and they don't seem to be letting up.

There's the major concert for Pops. There are only four weeks left till the big night and we really, really need sponsorships. I'll be responsible for making print materials for that event too, namely the souvenir program.

There's also the matter of the professors beginning to bare their teeth. I had thought our profs were kind enough to give us some easy sailing, but I'm beginning to see low test scores on my papers. Shucks.

I gotta pull my act together somehow.
===

Now more people can start believing in the sign of Z.

"Mobile Suit Z Gundam" premieres on Animax on February 13. This is probably a broadcast of Bandai's recent DVD box set. I'll be watching this just to check the differences.
===

I've become an absolute nut for Initial D ver.3. I've spent quite a lot of time and money on it and I'm pleased to say I've gotten pretty good. My regular stomping grounds are twisty Happogahara and Tsuchizaka nowadays.

However I still can't manage to defeat Takumi on Akina's downhill, always losing by a mere 25 meters. Darn.

I might not be able to play as often as I did though; Robinsons Place Manila's arcade will supposedly cease operation on February 5. Oh well.

ORIENT3 ended last Saturday.

All of us were primped in our business clothes, neckties and suits. All of us submitted our two-page-or-longer resumes. All of us were frightened at the thought of having to face a job interview.

Somehow I left the room feeling a little scared and unprepared, as if what I am right now isn't enough to satisfy future employers despite my having a degree in De La Salle University - Manila. It's going to be tough having to deal with the pressures of the real world after spending 18 years in school.

I envy those people who can make clear-cut goals for themselves, like Angiela for example. This early she's decided on quitting her present post at Philamlife---this after only around a year being employed there, and with the kind of salary she has! But she's very headstrong. She figures she wants to move on and experience all the professions her accountancy career can take her---even if it means getting a lower salary. Listening to her talk over tea and coffee at Starbucks, I felt she wanted to do so much within the span of the next eight years.

I don't know. I probably made the mistake of thinking that I'd be young forever, or that I wouldn't have to live on my own. The world is changing so rapidly and so I really need to keep up, be competitive, make the most of the next few years. I'll be 22 in less than a month. It's about time I got started getting serious about my life and stopped being so nearsighted about things.
===

After ORIENT3 I quickly headed over to Kart Trak to join the HCP EB, even if I was late. Turns out my arrival was just around a half hour before Juno and the others decided to adjourn.

Because the Tropang SX8 City won the prize at the Christmas Party for Tropa of the Month, we decided to squander the PhP5,000 prize money on karting and dinner. Eight of us trooped over to the nearby go-kart racetrack in the CCP complex.

I have to say my friends were really good kart racers. Patrick Chua, especially, was driving and drifting his kart through the corners like a bat out of hell. He drove impeccably in both heats he ran.

As for me I decided to drive conservatively as the CCP track was a lot more technical than the Enchanted Kingdom one. There are technically no straightaways here; most of the time you'll find yourself fighting the g-forces, leaning your body into the turns, heaving the little steering wheel to point the kart in the direction you want. Manhandling the steering wheel feels like lifting weights---do it too often and you'll soon tire out. I did well enough to improve by around two seconds on my second heat, but I always kept clear of potential overtakers and I still came dead last.

After the kart races we accelerated over to Shell Macapagal to eat dinner at Yellow Cab Pizza. There we discussed the minutiae of our lives and our passion for fast cars. It was rather nice having the SX8 barkada around to hang out with, and I wish I could do this more often.
===

This afternoon while waiting for Bianca to finish her class, I scooted over to Robinsons Place Manila to burn money on Initial D ver.3.

Despite having only a crappy non-turbo S14Q Nissan Silvia as my primary car, I finally managed to conquer Irohazaka and Akina-Snow within an hour! I was grinning ear to ear from the achievement. If this was what I could do with a humble S14Q, what more could I accomplish if I got my blue AP1 Honda S2000 back?

Akina-Snow was especially surprising. I thought it would be hard, but I beat Miki's ST205 Toyota Celica GT-Four 4WD in just two tries. Reflective of driving on the snow itself, the steering wheel lightens almost ridiculously, meaning there's less effort in turning and there's less of a distinction between making a good drift through the corners or ending up rubbing the guard rails. The secret is to keep everything smooth and predictable.

As for finally defeating Kai Kogashiwara's SW20 Toyota MR2 G-Limited in Irohazaka, I essentially saw through his "corner-jumping" technique and applied it on my own S14Q. HAH! Turns out it was nothing special after all. Pretty efficient technique though.

Attended the ATIFTAP E-Trade Bridge Program workshop at Oakwood, Makati last Friday for my subjects MARKNAL and MARKPRO. I had originally intended to stay just for an hour when sleepy old me arrived in business attire at 9:30 am.

I got so interested that I ended up skipping one of my classes.

When I came along, the workshop was in the middle of some sort of integrative activity about everything that had been discussed in the previous day. Because I had been absent and uninformed, I was sitting there uncomfortably trying to grasp the subject matter for a good hour.

My mates at the table were all nice men and women though. Most of them were working for financial institutions, the government or small-enterprise businessmen. We were eventually made into a group to discuss the importance of e-trade in the Philippines and if it was enough to convince the government to get involved.

Met Roberto Castañeda there, too. His name might not ring a bell, but he's the proprietor of the only winery in the world that makes mango and coffee wine. I was impressed at how passionate he was about the whole discussion yet was jovial enough to crack jokes. He felt that e-trade was indeed necessary in these times because it can empower SMEs (small and medium enterprises) to become "Smarter, Mightier Enterprises."

Before we parted ways we had a little chat and he seemed to have taken a liking to me. He left me a calling card and invited me to a free tour of his winery in Imus, Cavite.

I was certainly rather unfortunate that I didn't get to taste his wines there at the venue, when the bottles were right in the middle of the meeting room. Also it's somewhat depressing to hear that local spirits stores would not carry his product, just offering the foreign wines instead. Sigh.
===

Finally got to watch "The Incredibles" and it was good. Very good. Pixar seems to make pretty good animated movies targeted to kids that are appealing even to adults. That's a feat.
===

Also finally managed to watch the first fansubbed episodes of "Gundam SEED Destiny."

Right off the bat I can clearly say that if SEED was a retelling of the original "Mobile Suit Gundam," SEED-D is "Z Gundam" retold for the 21st century. So many events and elements in this latest series have their parallels to that 1985 anime. Hmmmm. This will get interesting, I'm sure.

I don't like the way I'm behaving lately.

I've mouthed off in a rage all too often only to feel really bad about it the next moment. Maybe some anger management is in order?

Perhaps I also owe my sister some credit. She's acted as my conscience.

This term I enrolled in ORIENT3. It's basically a career counseling course, taking up three whole Saturdays...but that's it for the entire term.

The big surprise was that this time I finally got acquainted with my longtime crush, Angela Navarro. After four years of nothing but the mutual cold shoulder, we finally meet properly. In the limited time I had with her, I found her really cool and feisty and more than just a pixie-like face. She definitely has a knack for going her own way, and Anj really is as nice as people say she is.

Today's ORIENT3 session started out slow but ended pretty well. Sir Ennan, our facilitator, wasn't much of an articulative and interesting guy, but I could see he was being earnest and sincere with his work. I was with Kwapaw and Alrey Villagracia (an acquaintance from my ROTC Navigator days) the whole time and I had quite a bit of fun. I'm looking forward to the next two Saturdays.
===

Every time I go to the grocery with my folks and we go to the meat section, I can't help but watch in awe at the butcher workers skilfully running chunks of pork and beef through huge electric meat saws...with only their bare hands. It's a small miracle I've never seen any of them cut up their fingers or hands with the high-speed cutting tool. The very thought of it is rather revolting, to be honest.

I for one wouldn't be able to stand working in that situation. Knowing how easily distracted I am, I'd probably end up cutting my own arm off. I have respect for these newfangled butchers and their amazing sense of focus.

My fingers go all limp just thinking about it. Shucks. I should change the subject.
===

On a brighter note...HAPPY BIRTHDAY CHER!

A belated Happy New Year to everyone!
===

New Year's was certainly amazing.

We were at White Plains, as usual, swigging wine, eating cold cuts and watching the fireworks as they drowned out the starlight. My cousins Bea, Martin and Carlo (damn he's tall!) pretty much enjoyed the spectacle, and I found myself admiring how fancy these firecrackers have gotten. Lots of skyrockets flew with a main explosion, then their fragments exploded further into clusters of sparks. Very very cool.
===

Bianx celebrated her birthday on the 2nd. Still rather hard to believe that she's 20 already. Just as hard to believe is that I'll be 22 in a month's time.

We spent the afternoon looking around in Landmark and picking out my mom's present for her. She eventually got a new Philips VCD boombox, with a copy of "Gothika" thrown in. Not bad. I just hope the thing doesn't break down as easily as my various pairs of Philips ear/headphones did.

The other day I spent with Paolo and Dinggoy. We paid tuition first thing in the morning. This was the first time I was able to apply my tuition discount from my participation in Pops as I submitted all the requirements. I was frankly surprised to get a 22.8% reduction in tuition. That's PhP6,000 saved! I bet my dad's proud of me; he's...just not telling me about it.

By noontime we were at Glorietta 4, just walking around, burning money on games of Initial D ver.3 and Wangan Midnight Maximum Tune, where Pao and I share ownership of a tricked-out Lancer Evo VI. We moved on to girl-watching as well...and this was probably the first time I saw guys getting all "kilig" over a girl. Maybe I just wasn't paying too much attention to Carlo Trillo's new girlfriend, but Dinggoy and Pao were gobsmacked by the sight of her. They swear she's the complete package. Me, I just kept silent. Afternoon was rather fun though.

School's starting again tomorrow...it's going to be another term of madness. I really hope this one's a lot smoother than the two previous terms. Might as well enjoy the final ones I'll have in DLSU, right?