incredibly.bored

Realizations

2011-02-25T04:56:00.000-08:00

Earlier this evening, I finally just sat down and played my violin. I haven't done this in months, save for a few times I was asked to perform and needed to practice. It's actually kind of hard to get into the mood in my house anyway, considering there are nine of us and the house is usually sorta noisy with the TV blaring and someone playing the guitar somewhere. It felt good. I kinda missed it - which is hard for me to truthfully say 'cause I'm not really attached to things or people. I don't like saying "I miss you" because I usually don't. But anyway, it was refreshing to be able to play properly again.

When I took Mul9 (Music of the Philippines) last year, my professor said, "Ah yes, architects are very musical people." Well, I'm not like some of those musically-inclined people who really feel their music as if it were a force touching upon their souls, like the way some people feel about their faith. But playing did give me a feeling of clarity, of peace. And it gave me some realizations as well.

Lately I've become extremely complacent with my work. And while my grades will still probably be in good condition, my attitude towards the work is not. I haven't been feeling the drive I felt last sem, which was probably my most busy and motivated sem yet. I was applying to two organizations, I was taking math and physics and design class with a challenging professor, and yet I mostly felt driven and pumped about my work. This sem I don't panic despite a big deadline nearing and not having finished my work. I just feel empty about it, and this perpetually brings questions to me as to whether or not I should shift.

I reason to myself that if I can't summon the enthusiasm to design at this stage, then I probably shouldn't bother continuing. At this point I'm not really sure as to what to do about my course. It's not something I'm surely passionate about - I'm usually passionate about whatever I have going on at the moment, but taking up Arki has never been that lifelong dream I had for myself. The thing is, I'm pretty sure nothing else is gonna make me happy so I might as well just stay. If only Arki were not such a hard course. People have misconceptions about the course, thinking all we do is draw whatever comes to mind and give the engineers all the hard work. Ha! If this were so, then I wonder why my engineer parents were not used to my sleepless nights during my first year. They never mention that it's like that in Eng'g, so I'm going to assume it's not.

Anyways, while playing earlier, there were the usual signs of not playing in a long time. My sound was strained at first, and gradually become more whole as I progressed. My back hurt: I wasn't used to keeping my posture anymore. I would hit the other strings at times, meaning my arm wasn't steady or in the right position. But gradually, the sound got better as I reacquainted myself with the nuances of playing. It was then I realized how similar playing music was like to my taking up Arki.

First of all, I wasn't born with it. I wasn't born playing violin, so I shouldn't beat myself up for not miraculously having talent in Arki. I learned how to play, and like that I should LEARN my craft.

Second, it takes discipline. When I first started playing the violin, I cried at how much my arms hurt keeping them up like that for an hour. But the more I practiced it became easier and hurt less. And gradually my sound grew richer, though still pretty amateur. I realize that this should apply to my course. It's gonna hurt at first. *cough*grade in Arch1*cough* It's hard, but eventually I should get there. I just have to work hard enough.

Third, I need to educate myself. I didn't learn the violin by myself - I had a teacher. And now that I don't have one, my progress is stalled. So if I don't learn from my professors and the people around me, I won't have much going for me in Arki as well.

Lastly, I have to WANT it. I lost interest in playing, sort of like I'm losing interest in my work. But if I want to succeed in anything, I have to regain the passions that pushed me into them in the first place.

I probably haven't articulated these points very poetically, and these words don't really encapsulate the feelings I was having earlier, but that's sort of it in a nutshell. As for my course, I won't deny that I still consider shifting. But there's always these realizations.. if I want it hard enough, I'll get there. :)

To be a UP student...

2010-10-11T01:49:00.000-07:00

If this blog were a book, it'd be dusty and covered in cobwebs by now. I think of why I haven't written in so long, then I realize it's because: (1) I don't have the same free time I had before (despite being in a science highschool), (2) Facebook is taking over my life (can you relate? ;P) , and (3) there wasn't really that much to complain about in UP... Isn't there?

Being a UP student is one of the best things that ever happened to me. Why? Because:

1. I can totally relate to (almost all) the people here. It's like we're on the same brain frequency. And I don't mean that the way we think is better or lesser than other people, just that we think similarly.

2. I am amazed by the kind of educators in UP. I've been more or less "lucky" in my professors. They truly are the best of the best.

3. I'm given a lot of freedom. I choose my classes, schedules, and even professors sometimes. I get to choose what to wear to school and where I eat. Heck, I have the choice to even go to a class!

I could go on and on but that would take forever. I wanna talk about what it means to be a student.

As a student, your obligation is to study. Duh, right? But do we really do this? I will honestly say that I haven't been as true to this as I should have. No, I don't review in advance. I don't read the Physics or Math books nor do I read the required Arch17 readings. Yes, I cram reviewing for exams because I usually "understand" things during class. And what does it mean to study anyway? I think most of us, myself included, have been so disillusioned as to think studying is simply about reading the books or our notes and trying to memorize all this stuff.

The act of studying is "a personal effort to gain knowledge." To study is "to think deeply, reflect, or consider."

I admit, sometimes I feel too lazy to make an effort. Case in point: I did really badly in my Math 53 fifth long exam because I couldn't understand the topics discussed. I "tried" to study the topics myself, but I was unable to really grasp what to do, mostly because I lacked the time to really put myself into it. There was just so many things to do that night, I put the exam last. And come the exam itself, I felt the humiliation of not knowing what to do. It was probably the first time I ever felt so blank in an exam.

What did I do wrong?

First of all, I grew complacent and arrogant. I took the class for granted seeing as I had almost perfected all of the previous exams. I was in the perfect place for a flat uno and just because of my complacency I may have given that up.

Secondly, I didn't prioritize. I probably spent more time on Facebook than doing work. Nuff said.

And thirdly, I forgot that I wasn't simply taking the class because it was required, but for me to LEARN. Sometimes I think, what's the point in all these formulas? It's not as if I'm going to need to know what a hyperbolic inverse function is when I'm designing a building. But the thing is, you're not just learning Math or Physics or whatever course of study it is you're taking. You're learning DISCIPLINE. You're building CHARACTER. You're appreciating the tiny little details behind every thing that happens in this world, and eventually appreciating the higher being who does indeed understand all this.

So please don't ask about "unoable" GEs or "nice" professors. It's a General Education class, designed to make you a well-rounded individual! Your taking a class should be about learning something. About making an effort to understand things. About disciplining yourself. You're a UP student, so prove it! A UP student should understand that being human means choosing pleasures of the higher faculties rather than base ones. And the opportunity to appreciate these pleasures - literature, art, music, science - is being offered to you in UP. You can eat, drink, sleep, rest, have sex anywhere else.

Honor and excellence, people. That's the motto of UP. If your goal in a class is to learn, to develop yourself, then I think this will be easy. Unos aren't hard to get if you have the right attitude towards learning. What are grades but a reflection of you effort, your perseverance, your hard work? I understand it can be hard, but if you really want it you will push yourself and push yourself until you finally get it. There is no point in cheating. I'd rather fail an exam than cheat. I'd also rather have a failing grade than a grade I didn't earn, a grade given by an overly nice professor or by a professor who favors you over others. I admit I've had bad grades in my first semester because of professors who didn't teach much, or didn't teach rightly, but I lay fault on myself for not making an effort to find out what they didn't teach me. It was my fault for wasting the opportunity.

I understand that being in UP may mean having better work opportunities, but your taking a course shouldn't be about making money. It should be about fulfilling your purpose, about enriching your existence and the existence of others on this earth.

Please stop taking things for granted. And if you can, remind me as well.

Be a real UP student. Be honorable and excellent.

Should I Clap My Hands?

2009-05-25T06:55:00.000-07:00

At least I follow two of these... The first and last, obviously. Hahah.

I am very happy. Seriously. Should I clap my hands? Or would that mean that I believe in fairies? Hahah.

"It's from Peter Pan, you illiterate."

The Time Traveler's Wife, by Audrey Niffenegger - a pretty good book, which I unfortunately haven't read properly, but have 'skimmed' (read random parts in random order) enough times to tell you what's gonna happen next and obviously quote pretty lines from...

Anyway. I'm happy.

Aaaaaaand, according to our survey, the top three reasons are:

1. I may now officially say that "I'm from UP" because I finally have the plastic card that proves it.
2. My phone line and, by extension, my internet connection is up and running after a number of grueling days, meaning that I can finally go online... and obviously have already.
3. I have just had a pretty good day which was not confined to the four walls of my home.

Hahah. This is the time when the very idea of staying home all day sickens you. If boredom could kill, you would have already given a pretty little speech about me a few weeks ago.

And to think, in a couple of weeks, we'll be suffering from a reverse of fate which will leave us pining for the boredom we've been deploring. Ironic. We humans are so fickle, always unsatisfied with what we have.

Arggh. I'm becoming an artsy-fartsy literate! Joke. Hahah.

Perhaps my mental processes are coming back. I seemed to have crippled them a bit when my infatuation started. I'm kinda happy it's gone, coz now I can focus, but it's kind of boring not having something (or someone :P) to think about. So I'm guessing that absence does NOT make the heart grow fonder. Hahah. Although my friend (not a classmate :P) keeps telling me (in a very teasing manner) something along the lines of: I bet if you see him again, it'll all come back.

Arggh again. Life was so much easier when I was.. genderless is not the term. Uhm. When I was emotionally detached from all those.. stuff. Now that it's started, it's likely to happen again. I've always been a romantic, but actually finding someone to fit the standard is shocking. Joke. What standard? All the 'requirements' fell away except the most important... Let's call it, 'convenience,' for want of a better term. And for ambiguity. :P *sigh* What happened to all that rigid control? Perhaps I'm just in love with the idea of being in love. Hahah.

Enough psychoanalyzing myself. Let me update you more clearly with the happenings of my life.

May 19 was Angel's birthday, which called for an overnight. It's pretty fun to stay up till 6am and wake up again an hour later. But going home and collapsing on your bed and being comatose for 6 hours is pretty big payback. Beats getting bored though. Hahah.

The 21st was my sister's enrollment in Mandsci. What does this have to do with me? Let's see... I know! How about the fact that she forgot her report card and had me commute all the way just to give it to her? Sure, spend some more time on your hair would ya. Joke. I actually didn't care, and still don't. Still, it's fun to get riled up a bit once in a while. No wonder I'm always causing trouble... Joke! Hahah.

Hmm. Joyce left on the 22nd. My mom didn't want me to come with the crying entourage who would be there to wave handkerchiefs at the plane. Somehow we ended up going to the mall. My dad wasn't around but my sis just got her driver's license... Hahah. You get the picture. I met up with Angel at the mall and walked around a bit. I was able to send a pretty senti email to Joyce though.

Saturday meant "Yearbook meeting." An excuse to meet up and chat. Hahah. Well, we did get a few things done. And then we spent another 3 hours at McDo, chatting again. Then I went to Robpi to meet up with a friend who needed a favor. And, I bought another book, one I'd always seem to read at National but never seemed to buy. So I bought it. Another one to add to the list. I think that's 7 or 8 now. Hahah. But it seems that I've almost finished it. I'm aiming to read all those books in my last 2 weeks of freedom. I know I can, I'm just too lazy.

Hmm. Sunday. Our church service was at the Center of HOPE in Binan, Laguna. We made some noise in their music room afterward. Hahah. We ate dinner at my tito's place back in QC, 9 hours after lunch. Imagine that.

TODAY.

Today I was scheduled... or in a British accent, 'sheduled,' for my Photo-ID stuff.

It's fun to commute to UP. I love taking the MRT when there are only a few passengers. Hahah.

So.. My ID picture-taking. It was pretty cool. And very fast. I was kinda nervous coz everyone had their own sob story about their ID pic. But I guess mine was pretty okay. I mean, I'm used to having horrible ID pictures, so this one was pretty okay versus my old ones. Hahaha. At least I was not veiled in a shade of pink.

It was so fast. While waiting, I chatted with the guy next to me in line. It was cool because he was pretty friendly and kinda cute. Hahah!

Next thing I did was to walk straight over to Archi. Katabi lang, please. Hahah! Kaya ang dali talaga noong enlistment ko eh. There I started an 'experiment.'

How long is it gonna take me to get from Archi to PE?

I swear, UP just seems to get smaller and smaller to me. It was pretty close. It took me around 10 minutes to get to the Alumni Center, walking leisurely, that is. So if Risah and I broke out in a dead run... Hahah!

After my experiment I went to Eng'g to meet up with my mom who went to UP earlier than me. I decided to go with her to her meeting with some people from UNICEF.

She made me her secretary in exchange for getting to eat with them. Swear, masarap talaga pagkain sa Chocolate Kiss (2nd Floor, Bahay ng Alumni). Mahal lang, pero malaki ang servings. Hahah! Naumay na nga ako eh.

Ayun. It really made me appreciate my mom. The projects she takes up are no joke. This meeting had my head reeling. I started to actually appreciate Research class because it actually helped me understand what was going on. Of course, how could I take notes if I couldn't understand a thing, right? Man. Eye-opener.

Well, since one of them was my mom's former stude, they decided to give us a lift. While we waiting for the car to come up front, a guy who looked like he just went jogging walked past me and into the Bahay ng Alumni. I glanced at him as he came close, then looked away, then I looked back again, realizing it was a television actor. Luckily, when I looked back he had already passed me, so I didn't look idiotic so much as disinterested in him. When we got into the car I started asking my mom if he saw that guy. And she was like, Oo, artista nga, ang gwapo nga eh! Hahah. Her co-teacher gave us the name, it was DJ Durano. Hahah.

They dropped us off at Ortigas station. We crossed over and walked to MegaMall. Met up with my dad. Did whatever they needed to do. Came home.

And here I am, typing this blog entry.

Oh, but I was able to chat with Joyce, and man, I'm telling you: it feels really good to converse with someone who understands. Like, I could relate with whatever she's experiencing now in Australia, and it feels nice to have someone understand me. I mean, I avoid making conversation about my experiences there because I may eventually cause discomfort on either side. But since she can relate, it felt really nice and very real.

And so. Here I am. Happy with the day. It wasn't extraordinary; I didn't find out that I had superpowers, or that I was actually adopted and my real parents just died leaving me billions, or some other whack thing.

But I had fun. I'm happy. At least I followed two of the instructions...

Comment please! In the chatbox, ok? Thanks!

Just Deposited: 1, 708 tears, 329 heartaches, and counting.

2009-05-11T07:17:00.000-07:00

"Mother - that was the bank where we deposited all our hurts and worries." ~T. DeWitt Talmage

How many times have I cried in her arms? How many times have I relied on her to get me through MY problems? How many times have I looked at her and waited for the inevitable "It'll be alright" and reassuring smile? And, despite all this, how many times have I hurt her, challenged her, rebelled against her, knowing that she'd forgive me all the same?

I don't know.

Even if I did, the number may be too large for this screen... Immeasurable. Just like her value is.

"If the whole world were put into one scale, and my mother in the other, the whole world would kick the beam." ~Lord Langdale (Henry Bickersteth)

I don't know what I'd be if it weren't for her. Every contest, every medal, every award... I want them because I want her to be proud of me. I fight for them because I want her to smile and be able to say, "That's MY daughter." I sacrifice so much for them because I want her to know that she did a wonderful job as a mother.

A mother is a person who, seeing there are only four pieces of pie for five people, promptly announces she never did care for pie. ~Tenneva Jordan

My mother could've written the book on sacrifice. She's been through so much for us; I can't believe I even allow myself to forget.

She is brilliant and wonderful and so unselfish. She could've been earning millions a decade ago but she gave it up. Because she wanted a better life for her children. Not for us to grow up with everything but her presence; but for us to grow up with something much more than all the toys in the world... her love.

How many of you can boast of a mother who studied for her PhD, pregnant and caring for 3 other children, while holding a part-time job and still getting a high distinction in class? How many of you have a mother who has endured so many fatalistic health scares and major surgeries and yet still goes to work everyday, uncomplainingly? There are four children in my household who can. And we are proud to be the offspring of such a strong woman.

A mother is the truest friend we have, when trials heavy and sudden, fall upon us; when adversity takes the place of prosperity; when friends who rejoice with us in our sunshine desert us; when trouble thickens around us, still will she cling to us, and endeavor by her kind precepts and counsels to dissipate the clouds of darkness, and cause peace to return to our hearts. ~Washington Irving

Even if the world turned its back on me, I know, that my mother never will. Never. And it breaks my heart to think that I haven't shown her the love and respect she deserves. She deserves a child who will help her out without complaint, who will do anything to make her smile, who will never forget to say "I love you, thanks for everything you've done."

Mother is the name for God in the lips and hearts of little children. ~William Makepeace Thackeray

God could not be everywhere, so he created mothers. ~Jewish Proverb

I know I've been hardheaded about my faith. I appreciate the fact that my parents are such strong role models, showing me how much I should love God. And though I still look for the intellectual challenge, at least I have an inkling of how much God loves me. And that is through my mother.

Thanks for everything, Mom. I mean it. The hours of hard labor for my birth, the hours of tolerating my incessant crying. The days of worrying when we were away from you, the days of working hard to feed our stomachs. The years of patiently loving and forgiving us, the years of always having our backs.

Words may never fully express this but,

I love you. WE love you. Happy Mother's Day, because it should be everyday.

I'm a Bran Muffin. Seriously.

2009-05-10T03:16:00.000-07:00

WARNING: This blog post is extremely random. Not for people who get confused easily by topic changes. Oh, and not for people who are easily blown away by rushing wind, and get angry about it. Hahah. Don't say I didn't warn you. *wink, wink*

Just now, I'd been taking random quizzes on blogthings.com and one of them was:

WHAT KIND OF MUFFIN ARE YOU?

It sounds kind of silly, huh? As I was taking the test, I was definitely thinking, 'What is the connection of muffins to my personality?' Perhaps I should ask Marc or Mico to explain. Hahah.

Then the results came out, and honestly, I was expecting something quite silly. But no, I was proven wrong. Hahah. Read on:

You Are a Bran Muffin

Some people have accused you of being all work and no play. And that does describe you most of the time.
You are very career oriented. When you're not working making money, you're working to improve yourself.

You have very little room in your life for fluff. You want to live as good of a life as possible.
You are competitive and driven. You like to surround yourself with other motivated people.

While you are a go-getter, you are by no means self centered. Quite the opposite.
You are a caring, together, and stable friend. You are grounded enough to be there for people.

I was instantly laughing at how a muffin, of all things, could be used to describe a person.

It kind of reminds me of Paula Abdul's loopy analogies on Idol. Speaking of which, GO ADAM!!! It's special entertainment to see if he'll do something gay, like the time when he kissed Matt on the cheek after he [Matt] was eliminated... Hahaha!! But, seriously, I only want to watch a finale that has Gokey vs. Adam. Seriously. And I want Adam to win. Hahah!

Okay. Back to topic.

How flattering! Hahah! Maybe I should have a shirt that says, 'I'm a BRAN muffin.'

What will they think of UP then, if one of their Oblation Scholars walked around in that? Hahahah!

Unfortunately for those anti-UP people out there, I am very loyal to ANYTHING I am associated with, unless it's something simply inane. (in which case I will deny any connection to that thing whatsoever. hahah.)

Anyway... Perhaps I'll take the implications to 'lighten up.' (As if I'm not retarded enough already) ...Let myself have more 'fluff.' *grins*

[Kim, Mico, Melo, et al who know about ... : I bet you're laughing. Sshh!! Hahah. If you're gonna comment, do NOT name names!! My trust is sparingly given. Heheh.]

But I will definitely be needing some incredible time management to do that. 8 to 6, 7 to 2 - a schedule that just might kill me and turn me into a mindless zombie. Hopefully, Mandsci training will be enough to prepare me for COLLEGE.

STOP. If you can't be open-minded by a little "wind-y" joking, please click the little X at the top-right corner of the screen. If you think you can take, I repeat, a little JOKING, please continue. (I can't believe I'm trying to AVOID offending people. JOKE!!!)

I'm officially an Iska now!! (Well, according to the College of Archi Sec, that is. I have my Form 5, after all.)

Yehey! My favorite cheer is:

U-nibersidad ng Pilipinas (8x)
Matatapang, matatalino
Walang takot, kahit kanino
Hinding-hindi magpapahuli
Ganyan kaming mga taga-UP
U-nibersidad ng Pilipinas (4x)

Especially when the studes scream, 'matatalino.' It's hilarious to see them so proud of that quality despite cheering on a seemingly losing team. Oh, and I love the arm actions. Hahahahaha!!!!

Is it bad for me to want a jacket? A black one, and written on the back, something along the lines of, 'Fact: The Top 50 passers out of the 62,111 who took the UPCAT are called Oblation Scholars. Myth: I am NOT one of them.'

Hahah! Bagyo!!! Worse than Emong!!! Hahah!

Gosh. Maybe I should pray for humility and attend a 'Lower your self-confidence NOW!' seminar.

Oh man. This is SOOOOO random. And probably making your room VERY COLD. Hahah!

Don't say I didn't warn you! Just click the little X at the top-right corner of the screen if you find this distasteful.

Anyway, moving on.

I was out all week, it seems. Well, except Monday. After a grueling 6 hours of travel from Baguio, I think I deserve some rest, eh? Hahah.

A summary of my week:

Monday - lazing about the house.

Tuesday - Went to NSO to cram my birth certificate. (What a BIG difference one word, 'NSO,' in front of 'birth certificate,' is! Hahah!) Played on the computer of a UP IE professor, my mom.

Wednesday - Went back to NSO to get my birth certificate. Younger sister's one, that we didn't need anyway, was still missing. Went to UP, and played, again! Went back to NSO to get the unneeded paper.

Thursday - Advance(d - Wala daw?) Registration. From College of Archi, to OUR (magkatabi lang!! yehey!), would've gotten it done faster if I didn't have to go to Vinzons in the pouring rain with my ate to have my Form 5 stamped for exemption... At least I got to see Kim and Melo... Hahah. Dumaan sa Eng'g for ate. Payed only P178.50 instead of more than P22K. Went to Mega to meet up with our family ATM, este, my Mom... hahah!

Friday - Went to UP in the morning with my Mom. Was left behind by them (because most of the family was going to visit Batangas church again) to walk to my FOP. Met up with Melo, Risah, and Kim. Found a place for Melo to buy a quick lunch. Had the FOP, had fun. Went with Melo to the OUR and ate dirty ice cream with Kim. Talked to them the whole time up to the MRT about certain stuff... Hahah. Got down at Boni, met up with my ate. Went to Robpi to watch 'Ghosts of Girlfriends Past.' It was fun enough. I don't recommend it if you're looking for a great watch though.

Saturday - Went to my old school to meet up for the yearbook. Editor in chief was not present. Spent most of the time talking AGAIN about certain stuff... Went to McDo. Ate and spent the 3 hours laughing and talking. Went home.

Sunday - Celebrated Mother's Day away from our Mom. At least my ate made a card to be given to her, and I just had my message written down via text. Went to MegaMall to meet up with grandparents and cousin. Went home. Did stuff online. Wrote this.

Ok. That's it. It's too long now. I'll eventually find something to write that will actually stimulate your thinking process, instead of scramble it. Until then, ciao babes. Hahah!

4A Fanfiction Archive: You’re just not allowed to be nice

2009-04-24T00:16:00.000-07:00

Genre: General
Rating: Anyone
Status: Complete

A/N: This is a oneshot, sort of a spin-off epilogue for the story ‘4Aver.’

Disclaimer: I do not own 4A. I only own my thoughts.

You’re just not allowed to be nice

Aura’s POV

Arggh. I HATE being sick. 'Coz when I get sick, everything happens. It could start out with a cold, then a fever follows, then cough, then I lose my voice because of coughing. I hate it.

Grr. But I won't complain about the reason I'm sick, just the fact that I am. Hahah. But I should probably explain why.

Flashback

I checked my phone after charging it. I hadn't been able to use it during camp, since I'm a good girl who followed the rules. Joke! Hahah. Feeling. It was more because my mom asked me to cough it up for safekeeping, and I used up all its battery on the way there, and I wanted to make friends. Hahah.

Anyway. So here comes a text from Cheska, basically saying that we were to have a meeting: April 22, 1pm, Mcdo sa MP. Okay.

Good thing my doctor's appointment was postponed. (Even doctors get sick!)

End Flashback

So that's the first part of what happened. Going on to the day itself...

Flashback

At 12:30pm I rushed out of the house into the pouring rain. Yes, my umbrella was out. Yes, I do have more sense than a cat. Moving on.

I flagged down a sidecar, got in it, had it take me to the salon on the intersection of our main street (I live in the extension) and a main road.

And I walked all the way to Rustan's Expresslane. Not far? What's the point? Okay, let me recast that: And I walked all the way to Rustan's Expresslane, ankle-deep in muddy water, in the pouring rain that made it seem like a typhoon was ravaging the city.

Okay. Then I had to wait for a jeep that wasn't full. My pants were soaked by then. It was like it took on a darker shade. And my shoes were drenched; I could feel the dirty water around my feet. Ugh.

Got on a jeep, finally, got down in front of MP, again giving my feet a luxurious muddy water bath. Got into MP, went up to Mcdo.

Lo and behold! Dalawa lang sila. Oh-em-gee. Kaasar!

Ayun. I walked up to Mara and Mariel, probably looking terrible, and said, "Through hell and high water, and now I look like _____." (Guess. Hahah.)

And so. Jacob came. Jellah came. Mariel ordered food. Cheska came. I ordered food. Melo came and his STLT (or COCC) finally worked up the nerve to join us.

So we bonded. I even said to them, "Uy. Pag wala pa nangyari, aalis ako ng 3pm."

But no. *Sigh*. We waited for LoAnn. It was around 4pm that we actually got to moving. There were 14 of us, 8 A'ers and 6 STLT-ers. Hahah.

The A'ers paired off while the STLT split into 2 groups. Melo was my partner, luckily. That way I didn't have to talk! Just smile and meekly say, "Salamat po." (Me, meek?!) Hahah.

So for 2 and a half hours, Melo and I walked around and begged for donations from sari-sari stores. If you don't know why, check your mail. If you still don't know, because you're someone I don't know, who for some creepy reason reads my blog, check this out: http://chrisjohnapostol.blogspot.com/

Then we met at Rustan's again. We went to LoAnn's house, which is coincidentally just walking distance from mine, which is why I call LoAnn my 'kapit-street'. There we counted the money.

And despite having traveled in the rain and being significantly less than the first group to do this (on April 17 - day of my camp), we were able to scrape up around P3000 from loose change. Loose change meaning: 5c, 10c, 25c, P1, P5, and P10 coins. And we had some help from very giving acquaintances and non-acquaintances who gave bills in denominations from P20 to P200. Hahah. Cool.

End Flashback

Yeah. So there. I came home late, around 8pm. So, I was out from 1 to 8pm, half of that unproductive.

I rested the next day, but I could feel the start of a cold. And against my better judgment, played games on Sporcle til 3am. I blame Angelo for recommending it. Joke! Hahah. Okay, I THANK Angelo for recommending it. Heheh.

So I'm sick. Apparently, so is Melo.

Good luck. Di na lang ako sasama sa Anime and Music Convention sa MOA bukas. Magpapahinga na lang ako...

BECAUSE... pupunta kaming Tagaytay on Saturday! Then we'll be attending church in Batangas. Next week, from March 1 to 3, we'll be visiting Baguio church naman. Hahah!

The End

Nope. Not yet. I haven't explained the title.

So, I texted Tricia, my churchmate. Haha. And told her I was sick. And she said, "Bawal ka lang talaga maging mabait." Or in English, "You're just not allowed to be nice."

I love that dry humor. But I value her opinion about my 'begging.'

To show people that 4A is a family, not just friends or classmates or acquaintances, but FAMILY, really means a lot to me. I didn't do it to be nice, or to make people think that. I did it because we're family, and FAMILY MEANS SACRIFICE. That's what pushed me to swallow my pride and ask for help. I LOVE MY FAMILY, BLOOD OR OTHERWISE.

THE END

Twilight Bash

2009-04-12T21:58:00.001-07:00

Okay, okay. I was just bloghopping and I read this really intriguing post by Mico. It was about Stephen King criticizing Stephenie Meyer.

Of course, I had to look it up. In King's words, "[J.K.] Rowling is a terrific writer and Stephenie Meyer can’t write worth a darn. She’s not very good."

Now that's brilliant. I was wondering how long it was gonna take for someone credible to speak up about it. It also amused me how many comments the article I read garnered. It was around 1,500. Kinda reminds me of Yvonne's blog. Hahah.

Okay, so maybe I don't really have the right to say anything because I haven't read either (King or Meyer) author's books. I've read snippets; but that's all you really need, right? A good author writes anything and everything well.

When I read a bit of Stephen King, it was like... damn. I was positive I was reading a bit of a horror story that I definitely didn't want to finish for fear of nightmares. Wimpy? Whatever. I'd rather call it part of my incredible foresight. Especially after hearing the summary of the movie 1408. Since I'm talking about the movie, it's probably pathetic compared to the written story itself, but heck, the summary scared the shit out of me. I'm talking about a summary, here. Not even the movie itself. So if a really, really downplayed version is enough to scare me, what more if I actually read the book. FYI: I have a very vivid and wild imagination, being a somewhat writer and avid reader.

Stephenie Meyer was first introduced to me by my 'classmate' in LSC (review center). Why did I go to a review center? Yes, I would've passed without it, but I do think that aiming for an Oblation scholarship takes effort.

Anyway, back to the topic, my 'classmate,' who was also the cousin of my classmate in Mandsci, saw me reading The Vampire Armand by Anne Rice while we were there. She recommended Twilight, which was not yet that popular then. I said I'd look into it when I went to Powerbooks, and whoa! Look who's writer of the month.

Seeing the stack of books, I checked out the backs... Boring. Fluff. Okay, let's look inside; maybe it'll get better. Hmm. Why would I waste my money on something I could probably read on Quizilla or Fanfiction.Net? I'd probably read some faux version of it with the same story, summarized, and the protagonist changed to someone whose name is "____ (your name)." Or I could probably not waste my time and go find a more entertaining fanfic. There are some that are even better than the things they're based on. Case in point: a fanfic I once read based on the anime Detective School Q. The cases to be solved by the protagonist were even more complicated then the ones in the anime itself.

So there. There was a time when I became an obsessed hater. That was when I heard something about a comparison... Some idiot praised Meyer on being like Anne Rice. NO!!! Anne Rice is brilliant. No comparison. At all.

When you read Anne Rice, you are immersed in literary brilliance. Her books show you culture in a real world. It's like finding something really exquisite but still seeing the darkness and ugliness around it, which in fact serve only to enhance the brightness of the tiny beauty. Her characters are infinitely charming. But they are not without their flaws or weaknesses. If they are near-invincible, it comes with a cost. Her contradicting first two books in the Vampire Chronicles show how different mindsets and takes on life really change how a situation stands. I could ramble on, but perhaps that deserves its own post.

Okay, back to Twilight. I only watched the movie because it was a convenient time for me to meet my sister's kareshi. I have my reasons for using another language.

Okay, fine. Kinilig ako. Whatever, right? I'm a girl. A teenage girl. Get over it.

That still doesn't mean I read the book. I read some snippets because my friend liked it too, and she kept telling me all this stuff and invited me to read them. But even she agreed that Twilight is a feel-good thing. She said that it wasn't deep, it was just entertaining.

So I kind of got over my prejudice because of that. She's right. Why should I care enough to hate it? I should just get my entertainment and leave it be. Use the time reading Anne Rice instead of ranting about those inferior to her.

Ahh. I'm done. And just 'cause I said that I got over it, doesn't mean I can't have my fun, eh? Hence this post. It gets boring around the house, once in a while.

Check this out: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zb72V_4N5ko

I think that's a good argument. Ciao.

Personality Test

2009-04-12T21:45:00.000-07:00

Okay. So my summer's kind of confusing. At times like these I find myself desperate to find something to do. At other times I feel swamped.

Now is one of the former. So I took a personality test. Hahah.

"What Does Your Birth Month Reveal About You?
October

Loves to chat. Loves those who loves them. Loves to takes things at the center. Inner and physical beauty. Lies but doesn't pretend. Gets angry often. Treats friends importantly. Always making friends. Easily hurt but recovers easily. Daydreamer. Opinionated. Does not care of what others think. Emotional. Decisive. Strong clairvoyance. Loves to travel, the arts and literature. Touchy and easily jealous. Concerned. Loves outdoors. Just and fair. Spendthrift. Easily influenced. Easily loses confidence. Loves children. "

I like how many of these match my personality. Does strong clairvoyance have to do with my relatively strong 'gay-dar'? Hahahah!

25 REASONS I OWE MY MOTHER

2009-03-20T06:49:00.000-07:00

25 REASONS I OWE MY MOTHER

1. My mother taught me TO APPRECIATE A JOB WELL DONE.
"If you're going to kill each other, do it outside. I just finished
cleaning."

2. My mother taught me RELIGION.
"You better pray that will come out of the carpet."

3 . My mother taught me about TIME TRAVEL.
"If you don't straighten up, I'm going to knock you into the middle of next
week!"

4. My mother taught me LOGIC.
"Because I said so, that's why."

5. My mother taught me MORE LOGIC.
"If you fall out of that swing and break your neck, you're not going to the
store with me."

6. My mother taught me FORESIGHT.
"Make sure you wear clean underwear, in case you're in an accident."

7. My mother taught me IRONY.
"Keep crying, and I'll give you something to cry about."

8. My mother taught me about the science of OSMOSIS.
"Shut your mouth and eat your supper."

9. My mother taught me about CONTORTIONISM.
"Will you look at that dirt on the back of your neck!"

10. My mother taught me about STAMINA.
"You'll sit there until all that spinach is gone."

11. My mother taught me about WEATHER.
"This room of yours looks as if a tornado went through it."

12. My mother taught me about HYPOCRISY.
"If I told you once, I've told you a million times. Don't exaggerate!"

13. My mother taught me the CIRCLE OF LIFE.
"I brought you into this world, and I can take you out."

14. My mother taught me about BEHAVIOR MODIFICATION.
"Stop acting like your father!"

15. My mother taught me about ENVY.
"There are millions of less fortunate children in this world who don't
have wonderful parents like you do."

16. My mother taught me about ANTICIPATION .
"Just wait until we get home."

17. My mother taught me about RECEIVING.
"You are going to get it when you get home!"

18. My mother taught me MEDICAL SCIENCE.
"If you don't stop crossing your eyes, they are going to freeze that
way."

19. My mother taught me ESP.
"Put your sweater on; don't you think I know when you are cold?"

20. My mother taught me HUMOR.
"When that lawn mower cuts off your toes, don't come running to me."

21. My mother taught me HOW TO BECOME AN ADULT.
"If you don't eat your vegetables, you'll never grow up."

22. My mother taught me GENETICS.
"You're just like your father."

23. My mother taught me about my ROOTS.
"Shut that door behind you. Do you think you were born in a barn?"

24. My mother taught me WISDOM.
"When you get to be my age, you'll understand."

25. And my favorite: My mother taught me about JUSTICE.
"One day you'll have kids, and I hope they turn out just like you!"

Make your mother proud, don't smoke pot or stop breathing because Abrocrombie and Fitch tell you its not cool to breath.

Hahah! Random funny stuff... Taken from Clouds of Sapphire from Fanfiction.Net

Contemplations

2009-03-20T05:22:00.001-07:00

I have to say, I’ve been thinking about it a lot. It is the fact that in 11 days, I’m gonna graduate.

I’m not trying to be sentimental about it – that is a quality that I cannot call inherently mine and I know for a fact will rarely ever manifest in me. Maybe I’ll shed a tear or two at graduation, I can’t really say.

I can say, however, no matter how cold it seems, that I walked away from my elementary graduation actually impatient to leave, and not quite caring for all those people I left behind. My Grade 6 classmates and I had a relationship I can place as being acquaintances, nothing more, nothing less.

I guess I never really clicked with any of them that would be on a more-or-less permanent basis. I wasn’t as fortunate as my younger sister who still meets up with her best friend from GoodShe, or my elder sister who I remember as having her own ‘gang’ or barkada back in Sydney.

But I don’t regret it. I would rather have one true friend I’m actually sure of than all the acquaintances in the world. That’s not sentimental; that’s a declaration of how I place my value on someone.

I guess I have found a few of these ‘true friends’ in this school, and my feelings on leaving them are still unknown to me. I’m not a person who is fond of change, yet I am not an attached person either. It’s quite a paradox, yes, I do understand that.

I’m not the kind of person who automatically likes the new rock band or fashion trend. These things have to grow on me before I can accept them. I know it won’t be easy for me to adjust to college life, but I’ll get by. I’ve been pretty much used to high school by now, and have felt very smug knowing which subject is like this, or which teacher is like that. I’m positive that entering college will give me as much a culture shock as when I started my secondary education in this hell hole.

I’m not the kind of person who is totally and utterly dependent on my best friend that I crave his/her presence and cannot seem to function when he/she is not around. In fact, you will rarely see me walking around with anybody. If I am, it will seldom be because I asked them to accompany me. Sometimes it’s the other way around, sometimes it just happens. I probably won’t feel pangs in my chest thinking about them in the near future – that just isn’t me. I’ll probably feel happy remembering the times we had together, but that will probably be the extent of my emotion.

This has always been my philosophy on partings: IF THEY’RE NOT DEAD, WHY SHOULD I FEEL SAD?

Sadistic, cruel, apathetic? Whatever you may think, I still have a point. I almost always have a point, but being right is always relative. I may be right in my eyes, but if you’re too buttheaded to consider what I’m saying, then we will be at odds with each other.

Think of it this way, for you with a narrow mind: you should be happy you met a person who was able to touch your life… Now let them go so they can touch others’ lives. If they’ve been so indispensable to the growth of your character then why not give others the chance at such a blessing?

I’ve filled up a page with this rambling, and I do not feel compelled to continue. I’ve been thinking about a number of things and to have put such an effort in one, the thoughts of the others have been driving me to distraction. Perhaps they deserve as much attention? I think I’ll make another post.

Note: I’ll publish the second one first so that you’ll read them in chronological order.

Ruminations

2009-03-20T04:13:00.000-07:00

We had a graduation practice earlier today. Sometimes, people won’t understand you. What’s the connection between these two statements?

I was pissed off during the second half of our practice. It seems that without a handler to rein in the wild animals, things can go very, very badly for people with short tempers… and for me as well. Heheh.

(I so wish you got that. I have no patience discussing wit with people who don’t get things the first time.)

This is one of the causes of my frustration: the reason for practice. You practice to get better, right? SO WHAT’S THE POINT IN MAKING A FARCE OF IT? Dammit! Instead of wasting my precious time, I had to endure the mockery. I can’t believe this even has to be explained! Duh!

Okay, what immaturity compared to the other post… But, ahhh! I hate it!

The other reason for my aggravation: a certain someone (in 4Aver, no less!) being explicitly rude and self-seeking.

I wish you read this. You don’t know half of what I can say to you to make you cry.

To be nice, I’ll tell you this: you’re not as good as think you are, so stop feeling that way. If your own friends didn’t defend your behavior, then I think that signals that you better change before people get sick of you. Trust me, I’ve been there.

Oh, and I wish to wound you. If you don’t get the poetry, then that doesn’t mean that literally, dolt!

Let me tell you this: you are a pitchy singer, okay? That means that you do get off-tune, and I do notice how you try to cover it up with exaggerated singing so that people think you’re so great at belting. Hon, perhaps you should try to learn at least some music theory before you go on trying to diss me.

I’d like to say so much but being pretentious is not the way to go about it. I don’t want to be a hypocrite.

Now, for a deeper subject… Because the object of my ire is a very, very shallow person, and because I’ll get over such a trivial thing about an unimportant person.

A classmate, Kim, was reading this book entitled Diary, A Novel by Chuck Palahnuik. Seated next to me was Hazel, and we skimmed through it, picking out the quotable quotes that were underlined by the true owner of the book, who happened to also put some interesting insights…

Do you know what ruminate means? It actually comes from that process that the cow does in digesting food. It digests the food over and over. And when using this word to describe thinking, it means that you reflect on something over and over before you’re done with it.

Here are some of my ruminations on these quotes from the book.

“All you need to understand is you turned out to be one sorry sack of shit.”

I guess we’re all worthless, when you really think about it. Who will ever be one-gazillionth of how awesome God is? That, or this could just really be a pretty good insult.

“You have endless ways you can commit suicide without dying dying.”

I think the emphasis should really be on the end of this sentence. It kind of implies that there are many ways a person dies. Not just physical death, you could be dead spiritually, morally, or even emotionally before you even reach clinical death. Perhaps suicide refers to how we put ourselves in that kind of position, dead in all ways but the defined.

“What they don’t teach you in art school is never, ever to tell people you wanted to be an artist.”

I can’t really interpret this much, but I think I can say that sometimes it’s hard to tell people your dreams – they’re so easily disregarded. I have my own experience with that: it seems that majority of the people to whom I tell my course choice have an eyebrow raised and the voiced or unvoiced question, “What?!”

“…no investment is yours forever. What you really don’t want to know – but don’t dare forget.”

We are all aware how easy it is to lose something or someone dear to us. It’s just damn hard to think about it. But knowing this makes time with it/them more precious.

“The second is never as good as the first.”

I could say, being second place is never as good as first place. But I could also say, the second time around no longer has the thrill of the first time doing/getting something, no matter how much more pleasurable or rewarding it may be. I guess nasawa rin ako: when you’re at the top, the only way to go is down.

“What you don’t understand you can make mean anything.”

If you’re stupid, something serious can be quite the joke. I don’t mean to hurt the jungle animals with this. (Cross-reference: first few paragraphs)

It’s easy to make up stuff about something we’re not entirely sure of, and this is useful in reporting. Joke!

Seriously… How about an example? We will never be able to fathom the things God understands. And because of this, it becomes easy to question the things He lets happen. And if you do happen to be one of the few who have a modicum of realization of these things, you’re lucky.

“You’ll need to suffer to make any real art.”

Art is a self-expression, and self-indulgence doesn’t make a good subject. You won’t need to express yourself anyway: people can probably see it in the way you carry and dress and spoil yourself.

“All the effort in the world won’t matter if you’re not inspired.”

What will it matter how much you try, if you really don’t want it, nothing’s gonna happen. Rephrasing: get inspired first, then make an effort.

“The paradox of the professional artist. How we spend our lives trying to express ourselves well, but we have nothing to tell.”

Perhaps art at its truest and purest comes from those who don’t try to create it.

“Maybe people have to really suffer before they can risk doing what they love.”

Suffering is one of the ways to prove how desperately you want to do what you love. You will go through trials, anyway. Giving up shows you don’t really have that much to go on, so you’d best not venture into that thing in the first place.

“What you don’t learn in art theory is how too big a compliment can hurt more than a slap in the face.”

What if you’re complimented on doing something the exact opposite of what you wanted to do in the first place?

“…the paradox of half a million people going to the same place to be alone.”

That’s a very nice thought. When are ever truly alone, anyway?

“Everything you do is a self-portrait.”

A simple action can show who you are. Guard yourself, you don’t know what you’re doing.

“These useless details… They’re only useless until you connect them all together.”

Make use of all these things you know, then it won’t seem that it was such a waste of time learning them.

“The truth is, wherever you choose to be, it’s the wrong place.”

Puzzling. Are we always wrong?

“The goal isn’t to live forever, the goal is to create something that will.”

My mother always tells me, “Whatever you do, do it excellently.” The legacy you leave is the only thing that’ll be left when you’re gone, so you’d best make good out of things.

“…you can’t steal what’s already yours.”

We all have everything we need already. To covet what others have shows that you’re quite the ingrate.\

“According to Plato, we live chained inside a dark cave. We’re chained so all we can see is the black wall of the cave. All we can see are the shadows that move there. They could be the shadows of something moving outside the cave. They could be the shadows of people chained next to us.”

Literally: Perhaps we are not really free at all.

Otherwise: Perhaps this means that at times we only see only what God wants us to see. It’s up to us to make a decision or judgment. He won’t make it for us, and that is the only liberty we can take.

Tagged... Kinda. XD

2009-03-13T11:10:00.000-07:00

Three things that scare me
1. Dying without fulfillment
2. Losing the ones I love
3. Potentially dangerous and/or uncomfortable situations

Three people who make me laugh
1. My crazy Dad
2. My even crazier and mostly annoying brother
3. My bullying target for the day... (Pick: Marc, Daniel, Melo... hahah!)

Three things I love
1. Sleeping
2. Playing
3. Reading

Three things I hate
1. Getting up early
2. Doing boring stuff
3. Listening to people sing in anyway harmful to my ears: off-key, off-tune or simply badly

Three things I don’t understand
1. Why the discipline of working has to be inculcated in us through dozens of useless school subjects
2. The concept of 'forever'
3. Differentials and crap

Three things on my desk
1. An empty water bottle
2. USB sticks
3. Random papers and files

Three things I am doing right now
1. Answering this piece of ....
2. Wasting my brain cells thinking of answers
3. Fighting sleep... (It's 2:30 am and I was playing Rise of Nations, again, but this time in Moderate mode....)

Three things I want to do before I die
1. Tour Europe
2. Get revenge on sucky teachers
3. Live out a fanfic somehow (If you're wise and well-informed enough, you'll get what that means.. Haha.)

Three things I can do
1. Play the violin
2. Wiggle my ears
3. Cross my eyes

Three things you should listen to
1. Advice from people who've been there
2. Constructive comments/criticism from people who care
3. La Campanella by Franz Liszt (Hahah!)

Three things you should never listen to
1. Like what I said earlier, people who sing in anyway harmful to my ears
2. Rants of some whiny person who has a moot point anyway
3. Tele-radyo at 5:oo am... I mean, Hawaii Five-Oh is okay, but come on! Putol na nga, loop pa!

Three things I’d like to learn
1. Tennis (? Random.... Hahah...)
2. Another language
3. How to whoop ass

Three favorite food
1. Pasta/noodles
2. Sinigang na Baboy
3. Kare-kare

Three beverages I drink regularly
1. Water
2. Tea
3. Coffee

Three TV shows I watched when I was kid
1. The Wiggles
2. Bananas in Pajamas
3. Teletubbies (I got tons more... What can I say, Disney Kid... Hahah!)

Three favorite books (Since this is so hard, I'm removing -s and adding series, okay? Haha.)
1. Vampire Chronicles by Anne Rice (Gotta love Lestat!)
2. Song of the Lioness Quartet by Tamora Pierce (But my favorite pairing is from a different series... Heheh.)
3. Of course, the Harry Potter series by JK Rowling (I read the first book when I was Grade 1, waaaay before the movie, duh...)

Three people I like to tag. (Hmm... Tapos na sina Marc and Angel...)
1. James
2. RC
3. Angelo

Dirty Little Secret - The All-American Rejects

2009-03-10T01:58:00.000-07:00

I was tagged by Marc as well... This should be interesting, I've got a pretty random playlist. And I mean random... Hahah! Who knows?

1. Put your iPod (or MP3 player, iTunes, etc.) on shuffle.

2. For each question, press the next button to get your answer.

3. You must write that song name down no matter how silly it sounds!

4. Tag friends who might enjoy doing the note as well as the person you got the note from.

IF SOMEONE SAYS "IS THIS OKAY" YOU SAY?

What Can I Do? - The Corrs (The title fits better than the lyrics... Haha.)

WHAT WOULD BEST DESCRIBE YOUR PERSONALITY?

The Freshman - The Verve Pipe ("When I was young and knew everything..." Hahah! Some lines are just about right...)

WHAT DO YOU LIKE IN A BOY?

Closer You and I - Gino Padilla (Funny that a love song came up... Heheh.)

WHAT IS YOUR LIFE'S PURPOSE?

Fallin' - Alicia Keys (Hahaha! Yeah right!)

WHAT IS YOUR MOTTO?

Something to Sleep to - Michelle Branch (I heart sleep. XD)

WHAT DO YOUR FRIENDS THINK OF YOU?
An Endless Tale - Wada Koji and AiM (Yes, it's Japanese. It has a great translation, though. You can look it up. http://www.animelyrics.com/anime/digimon/anendlesstale.htm = P )

WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT VERY OFTEN?

America's Suitehearts - Fall Out Boy (Hahah! "Why won't the world revolve around me?" Hahah!!)

WHAT IS 2+2?

This I Promise You - 'N Sync (Hahahah! Random and mushy...)

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR BEST FRIEND?

Total Eclipse of the Heart - Bonnie Tyler (Hmm... Dependent much? I'm not that much of an attached person... hehe.)

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THE PERSON YOU LIKE?

The Suffering - Coheed and Cambria (Hmm... Pwede..? Hahah!)

WHAT IS YOUR LIFE STORY?

Byakuya~True Light - Miyamoto Shunichi (Hmm... Deep lyrics but... too depressing for my life. http://www.animelyrics.com/anime/dnangel/byakuya.htm Heheh.)

WHAT DO YOU THINK WHEN YOU SEE THE PERSON YOU LIKE?

Home - Michael Buble (Talaga lang ah...)

WHAT DO YOUR PARENTS THINK OF YOU?

All the Love in the World - The Corrs (Hahah!)

WHAT WILL YOU DANCE TO AT YOUR WEDDING?

All the Small Things - Blink 182 (Tignan natin! Wahahah!)

WHAT WILL THEY PLAY AT YOUR FUNERAL?

One Sweet Day - Mariah Carey feat. Boyz II Men (Pwede!! Hahah!)

WHAT IS YOUR HOBBY/INTEREST?

Best in Me - Blue (Wahahah! Right...)

WHAT IS YOUR BIGGEST SECRET?
Kazemachi Jet - Sakamoto Maaya (Hmm... Pwede? Check it: http://www.animelyrics.com/anime/tsubasachronicle/kazemachijet.htm)

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR FRIENDS?

It's All Coming Back to Me - Celine Dion (Hahahah... Now that is really "being taken out of context"... XD)

WHAT IS WORST THING THAT COULD HAPPEN?

Half Life - Duncan Sheik (Hmm... Pwede...)

HOW WILL YOU DIE?

Heels Over Head - Boys Like Girls (As in madadapa ako? Hahaha! ;P)

WHAT IS THE ONE THING YOU REGRET?

Sana'y Wala Nang Wakas - Bolipata (This is a violin cover by a local and very talented violinist, in case you're wondering why I'd even have that in my music. Hahah! ...But it would seem a suitable answer... Just not in my case... Heheh! XD)

WHAT MAKES YOU LAUGH?

Angel - The Corrs (Hmm... Maybe if I were an optimist or a retard...)

WHAT MAKES YOU CRY?

The Great Escape - Boys Like Girls (*shrugs*)

WILL YOU EVER GET MARRIED?

Smells Like Teen Spirit - Nirvana (Whaa?? Hahah!)

WHAT SCARES YOU THE MOST?

Disturbia - Rihanna (Wahahah!)

DOES ANYONE LIKE YOU?

Walk With Me - Bedlight for Blue Eyes (*shrugs again*)

IF YOU COULD GO BACK IN TIME, WHAT WOULD YOU CHANGE?

Shape of My Heart - Backstreet Boys (Hahah! Really now..)

WHAT HURTS RIGHT NOW?

At the Cross - Hillsongs (Hmm...)

WHAT WILL YOU POST THIS AS?
Dirty Little Secret - The All-American Rejects (Hahah! Sure!)

Well that was definitely amusing. XD

Tag: 4AVER... Hahah... Anyone. ;P

Names, names, names

2009-03-02T02:40:00.000-08:00

Hahah... I saw this on Angel's blog, and I just had to try it!

YOUR REAL NAME
Aura Keziah Jose Soriano

WITNESS PROTECTION NAME: (mother & father's middle name)
Daus Sison (WT...? Hahah!)

STAR WARS NAME: (the first 3 letters of your last name, LAST 2 letters of your first name)
Sorra (Oooh! Sounds like Kingdom Hearts! Heheh. Pwede, pwede...)

DETECTIVE NAME: (favorite color, favorite animal)
Blue Dog (Hahah! At least I didn't pick something to support a college I'm not going to. Hahah! Mean!)

SOAP OPERA NAME: (middle name, city where you were born)
Jose Manila (My 'parents' would be crazy to name me that...)

SUPERHERO NAME: (2nd fav color, fav drink, add "THE" to the beginning)
The Black Chocolate Milk (Hahah!!!! No words...)

FLY NAME: (first 2 letters of 1st name, last 3 letters of your last name)
Auano (Ookay???)

GANGSTA NAME: (fav ice cream flavor, fav cookie)
Double Dutch Chocolate Chip (XD)

YOUR RAPPA NAME: (first 3 letters of real name plus izzle)
Aurizzle (That's just plain weird.)

YOUR GOTH NAME: (black, and the name of one of your pets)
Black Harry (Why do most of these names sound male?)

YOUR PORN STAR NAME: (your first pet, and the street you grew up on)
Harry Kensington (Yes, it's Harry again. In case your wondering, he was a dog. I didn't want another pet once I witnessed his murder. Yeah, yeah, cry me a river. I chose Kensington coz I really only conciously experienced childhood in Australia... It could be either that or Darling.. Haha. What a sentimental comment.)

Happy Happenings

2009-02-14T20:29:00.000-08:00

Hey there...

I haven't made any real entries for a long time now, but this time, I really have to blog... You'll understand after reading why I'm blogging when I'm supposed to use my limited time in the computer shop in Dagupan to do my really long and frustrating homework.

First of all, I got into both of the universities I applied to... with distinction, you could say.

The first confirmation I got was about the ACET. It seems I passed and am part of the 'prestigious' Ateneo Freshman Director's List, which is the group of next top 200 students after the 40 Merit scholars and San Ignacio scholars.. I can say it was an awesome experience. It definitely boosted my confidence that I could get into UP... I mean, if I can be part of the top 200 of 15, 700 applicants, I'm pretty sure kahit pasang-awa, papasa naman ako sa UP niyan... Oh, and if you're wondering, I got into Management Eng'g, the hardest course to get into.. It only allows the top 10%, of which I'm obviously part of... But anyway, they told me as part of the Director's List that I could take any course I wanted. Ha! As if I could afford it... But I did attend the fancy reception they gave for us... What can I say, free is free... Haha!

Oh, and by the way, a friend and classmate of mine, and ka-LSC, Angelo was blessed with the distinction of Ateneo Freshman Merit Scholar. I'm really proud to have such a classmate and I kept boasting about it to my other ka-LSC friends and even family and church. I mean, come on, if you were close to someone popular like a movie star or politician, you'd be proud of them as well. Pasingit lang: nag-contest kami sa Ateneo. Economics. And... one of our teams won.. I'd like to congratulate Marc and Cedric. If it weren't for them, I'd have taken the Ekonomiks periodical test as well. Hahah!

Anyway... So next, the UPCAT results... I was feeling pretty relaxed about it all. I really felt that I had a chance.
Anyway, we had a contest at UP too, also Economics. This time, I was one of the reps for essay writing. I do believe that is more my thing, as compared to quiz bees, that is. Well, the morning of our contest, Angelo called me and told me the UPCAT results were out. I was, of course, quite panicked when he told me that I was pending. He sort of assuaged my panic when he said that everyone who had 'passed' from our school, with the exception of him, had pending cases. He said that he had double-checked everything and made sure that there were no blank spaces in his transcripts. Turns out, with the many students cramming applications, the admin of our school made many mistakes in copying down our grades... Haaayyy... So there, we were left with 2 to 3 weeks of painful waiting. Then one day, dun dun dun dun! Our results were partially out. I was part of the first batch of released results. And well, I passed! You can say I was very, very happy. Hahahah.

I've been happy for a while now. I got my keychain from Benjamin Almeda, 4-A's mysterious benefactor(s). It felt much better having it once I got it. You see, mine was not among the other keychains when they were given out. It turns out, 'Ben' had not written my name clearly, leaving the maker to write 'Avra'. And, dahil nahiya naman siya, pinaulit niya. But not before I cried in class because of everyone's inconsiderate teasing.

Next, I won two contests just last week. The awarding for the UP Eco-No-Mix was on that Monday, and lo! I was asked to return, because... Hahha! I won third place, and my partner, Mico, won first. We were really jumping up and down 'coz we were both winners. You could say pinakyaw namin. It was an honor considering we had so many talented opponents from prestigious schools. The other contest was the Division Reading Comprehension Contest. Now for this contest, I really felt pressure. First, because I won 3rd in the Regional Level last year. Second, because my really great English teacher-slash-adviser gives nosebleed reading compre tests and I would be a shame to myself as top of her English class if I lost. The pressure intensified on the day of the contest itself when all the lower years won first. Man! Then Ma'am Tirones, who was also the emcee, stopped before announcing first place. I was so scared! Hahah. It felt good that we all won. It was three years ago since we had done that, and that's plain embarassing for the division's science high school.

Haha... More happiness - just this Friday, BA gave us all bags. How awesome is that? On the strap it says CERTIFIED 4AVER in between all the symbols of playing cards. Hahah! The days of pusoy dos... It's been so long I'm getting senti. Haha! On one side it says, "To whom much is given, much(.) is required." - Glue of the Puzzle. Then on the other side, it contained the word ALMEDA and all our names. Unfortunately, Ben seems to be quite forgetful. I'm lucky not to have been forgotten this time, but now Mik and Risah didin't have their names on the bag, causing Risah to cry.

I felt bad so while we were waiting at Mcdo for the play at Don Bosco, I bought a float to give to her. Turns out, Hazel already did so I just gave it to our other companions. It's the thought that counts, right? The play was cool too. I enjoyed it.

So after that, around 7:30 that Friday night, my family and I traveled to Dagupan, where I'm currently typing this instead of doing my impossible Eko assignment. Hahah. In case you're wondering, we're here for church. My parents spoke at a school here. The church leader of our Dagupan sector is also the PTA president at his child's school, so he got my parents to give a workshop on good parenting to the school's parents. I know they helped a lot because the school owners treated us to lunch and wanted to meet us, probably to see the 'truth' of our parent's workshop lessons. Hahah!

Anyway, after that I got to playing Mystery Case Files or something on my sister's laptop while she and John went swimming. What can I say, it's not my thing. So when my parents asked to use it for their lessons, I sought out my already full bat phone for something else to do. You can imagine my shock when I saw a message from Cedric, considering that my network is Globe. And what's more, when I opened the message, it was a group message announcing and at the same time congratulating me on being a UP Oblation Scholar! OMG! Hahah! I was ECSTATIC... and still am. I'm using this to burn out some of that excitement. I was like, "NO WAY!" Hahah. I called Cedric, then Angelique to confirm, I even had my mom, a UP prof, ask her officemate to check it out. Grabe! I was literally jumping up and down in happiness.

I couldn't wait to get here and confirm it myself. I had passed through a 'denial' stage right after my 'ecstatic' stage. Grabe talaga! You should see how happy I am. I'll prove it too. May pustahan kami ng ilang friends ko about this, and though they've forgotten, I'm still gonna keep up my end of the bargain... If there's a thing I won't do, it's break my promise without reason. So 4A, get ready! Hahah.

More tests... hahah!

2009-02-07T20:40:00.000-08:00

Your Element Is Earth

You excel at planning and strategizing.

You could be a champ at chess or Survivor.

Well grounded, you are able to be realistic and rationalize.

On the inside, you have a hard core. It's tough to phase you.

You are super productive, and you are able to think anything through.

Focused and super charged, your instincts are a good guide for your next step.

What's Your Element?

You are Extroverted, Conscientious, Neurotic and Open

Extroversion:

You have medium extroversion.

You're not the life of the party, but you do show up for the party.

Sometimes you are full of energy and open to new social experiences.

But you also need to hibernate and enjoy your "down time".

Conscientiousness:

You have medium conscientiousness.

You're generally good at balancing work and play.

When you need to buckle down, you can usually get tasks done.

But you've been known to goof off when you know you can get away with it.

Agreeableness:

You have low agreeableness.

Your self interest comes first, and others come later, if at all.

In general, you feel that people are not to be trusted.

And you're skeptical that anyone else really feels differently.

Neuroticism:

You have medium neuroticism.

You're generally cool and collected, but sometimes you do panic.

Little worries or problems can consume you, draining your energy.

Your life is pretty smooth, but there's a few emotional bumps you'd like to get rid of.

Openness to experience:

Your openness to new experiences is high.

In life, you tend to be an early adopter of all new things and ideas.

You'll try almost anything interesting, and you're constantly pushing your own limits.

A great admirer of art and beauty, you can find the positive side of almost anything.

The Five Factor Personality Test

Personality Quizzes

2009-01-31T06:02:00.000-08:00

I don't know if it's the "in" thing, but everyone seems to be posting personality quiz results on their blog... And since I wanna blog but am too lazy to type something good enough, I guess I'll go with the flow... Hahah.

How Much Is Your Life Worth?

Your Life Is Worth...

$1,101,000

Is this good enough? Hmmm....

What Type of Writer Should You Be?

You Should Be a Science Fiction Writer

Your ideas are very strange, and people often wonder what planet you're from.
And while you may have some problems being "normal," you'll have no problems writing sci-fi.
Whether it's epic films, important novels, or vivid comics...
Your own little universe could leave an important mark on the world!

Hahah... I actually don't think I'd be able to write science fiction... Really...

What Board Game Are You?

You Are Boggle

You are an incredibly creative and resourceful person.
You're able to dig deep and think outside the box to get things done.
You are a non linear thinker. You don't like following directions
You draw your inspiration from the strangest places sometimes. You're constantly inspired.

Oohhh... Now I kinda feel autistic...

What Country Are You?

You Are Argentina

You are a set of contradictions, and it often seems like you live in two worlds.
You are introspective yet outgoing. You are modern yet traditional.

You are warm and honest. Your life is petty much an open book.
You are a hard worker, and you don't mind putting in long hours. And then you'll go party til dawn!

Very funny.. Especially the photo. But I think the description hit the nail on the head.

Are You a Good Student?

You Are a Great Student

You aren't afraid to crack the books when you need to, and you make your education a true priority.
You could become a PhD in anything, if you set your mind to it. There's no limit to what you can learn!

Now... Why did I take this quiz? Hmm... The same reason I took the ACET... Hahah. To feed my ego. Bleehh... Hahahah!

What Kind of First Impression Do You Make?

You Make a Good First Impression

You probably are making a much better impression than you realize.
Social situations can be a bit awkward for you at times, and you tend to over think what you say and do.
If you make a social faux pas, you remember it a lot longer than anyone else does.

Just relax and do your best. There are little things you can do to improve your social image.
Express more of an interest in the people around you, and be a good listener.
The secret of fascinating people is that they find everyone else fascinating!

Oohhh... Hahah.

How Bitchy Are You?

You Are 42% Bitchy

Generally, you're an average woman, with average moods. But sometimes... well, watch out!
Sometimes, you let your mean side get the better of you. And you enjoy every minute of it.

Really, now? I'd anticipated much higher... Hahah!

How's Your Vocabulary?

Your Vocabulary Score: A

Congratulations on your multifarious vocabulary!
You must be quite an erudite person.

You should know me by now... You know why I took this. Hahah.

How's Your Attention Span?

Your Attention Span is Long

You're attention span is amazingly long.
You can concentrate well, and your mind doesn't stray easily.
Even if you have a mundane task to complete, you can get it done easily.

Because you don't get distracted, you accomplish more than most people.
Your self discipline is your greatest strength.
You can will yourself to do almost anything. All you have to do is put your mind to it.

*whistling*...

What Role Do You Play?

You Are the Philosopher

You love thinking things over and developing theories.
Learning is very important to you, and you pursue knowledge relentlessly.

You love to talk about the things you know, often in more detail than people would like to hear.
And you know a lot! You're always taking on new subjects, interests, and hobbies.

You are at your best when you are left alone to ponder your newest ideas and experiments.
You tend to withdraw from environments that are loud, contentious, or passionate.

Hmmm.

The Priority Test

Your Important Priorities Are Taken Care Of

For you, primal needs like eating and sleeping are your top priorities.

You find getting things done to be incredibly stressful. You don't like having things to do.

Your most important priorities get your attention. You are happily able to let the less important things slide.

You want thinking to be a high priority, but you don't take enough time for yourself.

Wahahah... Talaga lang ah.

Are You Disturbingly Profound or Profoundly Disturbing?

You Are Disturbingly Profound

You're contemplative, thoughtful, and very intense.
Taking time to figure out the meaning of life is a priority for you.
Because you're so introspective, you often react in ways that surprise people.
No one can really understand how you are on the inside... and that disturbs them.

Heheheh.

What Kind of Puzzle Are You?

You Are a Crossword Puzzle

You are well read, and you have a good head for remembering facts.
You are a wordsmith. You have a way with words, and you're very literate.
You are a mysterious person who enjoys dropping little clues every now and then.

Ookkayyy....

What Does Your Handwriting Say About You?

Your Handwriting Says You Are Not Traditional

You are a fairly energetic person. You know how do pace yourself, and you deal well with stress.

You are somewhat outgoing, but you're not a natural extrovert. You think first before you act. You tend to be independent, rational, and logical.

You are balanced and grounded. You know how to get along well with others.

You need a bit of space in your life, but you're not a recluse. You expect people to give you a small amount of privacy, and you respect their privacy as well.

You are a free thinker. You are unique, open minded, and artistic. You don't care what other people think.

You are a decent communicator. You eventually get your point across, but sometimes you leave things a bit ambiguous.

I kinda like this....

What Should Your Superpower Be?

Your Superpower Should Be Mind Reading

You are brilliant, insightful, and intuitive.
You understand people better than they would like to be understood.
Highly sensitive, you are good at putting together seemingly irrelevant details.
You figure out what's going on before anyone knows that anything is going on!

Why you would be a good superhero: You don't care what people think, and you'd do whatever needed to be done

Your biggest problem as a superhero: Feeling even more isolated than you do now

Wahahah.

What Playing Card Are You?

You Are the Ace of Diamonds

You are a lucky person, and you always seem to find yourself surrounds by pretty, shiny things.
You have a knack for success and money - though your skills can't really be learned or taught.

You shine in a room, and you a have a truly sparkling personality.
A true extrovert, you always are able to share a witty joke or the latest scandalous gossip.

While you do have an eye for bling, you are also quite generous.
A lot of wealth and luck comes your way. And you're not afraid to pass it on.

A gamble you should take: Sports betting

Your friends would describe you as: Captivating

Your enemies would describe you as: Greedy

If you lived in Vegas, you would be: A trophy wife or husband

LMAO!!

What Finger Are You?

You Are the Index Finger

You are ambitious, driven, and capable.
You aren't afraid to take responsibility for your actions - or place the blame on whoever deserves it.
You are honest, free thinking, and objective. You see things in your own way - and you aren't afraid to let everyone know about it.

You get along well with: The Thumb

Stay away from: The Ring Finger

hat English Speaking Country Are You?

You Belong in New Zealand

Good on ya, mate
You're the best looking one of the bunch
Though you're often forgotten...
You're quite proud of who you are

Ookaay? What?

What's Your EQ (Emotional Intelligence Quotient)?

Your EQ is 113

You usually have it going on emotionally, but roadblocks tend to land you on your butt.

On an average day, you're quite happy, together, and content. You live your life well.
Your emotions aren't always stable, but you can go along with the ups and downs pretty well.

You tend to be motivated, energetic, focused, and level headed.
You see the world pretty rationally, and you don't tend to over dramatize things. When things are bad, you know they eventually have to get better.

Are You A Control Freak?

You Are 28% Control Freak

You have achieved the perfect balance of control and letting go.
You tend to roll with whatever life brings, but you never get complacent.

What Number Are You?

You Are 5: The Investigator

You're independent - and a logical analytical thinker.
You love learning and ideas... and know things no one else does.

Bored by small talk, you refuse to participate in boring conversations.
You are open minded. A visionary. You understand the world and may change it.

At Your Best: You are sharp, inventive, and creative. You have the skills to lead the world.

At Your Worst: You are reclusive, weird, and a bit paranoid.

Your Fixation: Greed

Your Primary Fear: Being useless or incompetent

Your Primary Desire: Being competent and needed

Other Number 5's: Bill Gates, John Lennon, Kurt Cobain, Bjork, and Stephen Hawking.

What Gender Is Your Brain?

Your Brain is 53% Female, 47% Male

Your brain is a healthy mix of male and female
You are both sensitive and savvy
Rational and reasonable, you tend to keep level headed
But you also tend to wear your heart on your sleeve

Wahahah! Malapit na... She...may? Hahah.

Ayoko na! Andami na pala. Hahah!

Dante's Inferno Test (again, copied from Angel)

2009-01-08T05:29:00.000-08:00

The Dante's Inferno Test has sent you to Purgatory!
Here is how you matched up against all the levels:

Level	Score
Purgatory (Repenting Believers)	Very High
Level 1 - Limbo (Virtuous Non-Believers)	Moderate
Level 2 (Lustful)	Very Low
Level 3 (Gluttonous)	High
Level 4 (Prodigal and Avaricious)	Low
Level 5 (Wrathful and Gloomy)	High
Level 6 - The City of Dis (Heretics)	Very Low
Level 7 (Violent)	Low
Level 8- the Malebolge (Fraudulent, Malicious, Panderers)	Low
Level 9 - Cocytus (Treacherous)	Very Low

Take the Dante's Inferno Hell Test

Personality Disorder Test (copied from Angel - hahah)

2009-01-08T05:27:00.000-08:00

Disorder	Rating
Paranoid Disorder:	Low
Schizoid Disorder:	Low
Schizotypal Disorder:	Low
Antisocial Disorder:	Low
Borderline Disorder:	Low
Histrionic Disorder:	Moderate
Narcissistic Disorder:	Moderate
Avoidant Disorder:	Low
Dependent Disorder:	Low
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder:	Moderate
-- Personality Disorder Test - Take It! -- -- Personality Disorders --

It's Christmas!

2008-12-18T07:31:00.000-08:00

Waahh!

It's been so long! There's been so many things I keep saying I'll put in my blog... I just don't have the time of day anymore. Hahaha!

Anyway, let me share to you some of the things I still remember...

These past few months we've been undertaking some "fund raising" activities... which involved us smart, talented, and not-really-that-less-fortunate students to reduce ourselves into student basureros/as walking around and asking people for trash. Sounds bad, right? Sorry, that's just me. I'm such a cynic. But I did enjoy doing it... a bit. Haha.

A more enjoyable but more grueling task was the Christmas concert... Grabe. This concert has stripped us bare and left us with no one but ourselves, and I'm proud to see our class so united and at peace with each other. Everyone seems to be so close, I feel as if no one is trying to be plastic anymore.

As for the concert itself, I'd say we did a pretty good job. Got second daw. No, I don't have pictures or a video. Why? Because I was on stage, duh... Hahah. Sorry, pent-up frustrations plus new ones breed cynical and bitter bloggers. Hahah!

The training period - almost 2 months for just 20 minutes of stage time - was the grueling part. But it was also the time we got to bond and stuff. We used most of our time learning chorale songs... but we still got sin tonado. Hey, if you think that's spelled wrong, well whatever. Sin is Latin for 'without', so I'm guessing it's right. Ha! That's for whoever smartass is trying to outsmart me on my blog. Hahahah!

I was most impressed by our dance. Believe it or not, we only took 3 days learning all those dances... the rest (2 or so days) was just polishing. Hahah! Well, magaling trainer namin... Hahah! I'm just really impressed by how 4A was able to dance... I mean, for me, really only 10 people or so can really dance very well in our class. But because of our awesome trainer and deteriorating pride, we all did our best to do things right... I was even surprised by Mariel, who was one day really excited about dancing. Nagyaya pa siya mag-practice... Hahahah! Alavit!

Grabe. Then we had all those issues... It started out with our inability to think straight. We didn't go up to the AVR when we were told and then everything came apart. All the past stuff we did came out... I don't wanna share this with people out of 4A kasi tapos na... If I bring it up again, who knows what I'll type? Haha. The problem when you're literate is having to use words wisely.

Hahah. So there. After that we were all so not used to going home at 5pm... Everyone was cracking jokes about practicing... Hahah. I got my hype back when I remembered I was heading the Awards Committee for the Christmas party.

See, back in 2nd Year, may pinauso kami ni Nikko... that was the Awarding Ceremony. Nagbigay kami ng 10 or so awards sa mga tao. You know, just a little pick-me-up to show people our appreciation for their quirks. Then, come 3rd Year, the class officers decided to do it again... although I can't say they were all that encouraging.

Anyway, so nagpuyat ulit kami... Crammers kasi. Haha. Hirap kasi mag-isip na award sa LAHAT ng tao... Technically ginawa lang namin lahat kagabi. That's why 2:30am na ako natulog. Hahah! Then pumasok pa ako ng 7... Hahah! Syeet.. Hahah.

Eh yun. Tas late pa nakarating si Angel kasi traffic. Hahah.

Pero masaya ang party... Although di masyadong marami pagkain namin (unlike section D na dalawang journ table ang puno ng handa, may lechon at choco fountain pa...) nabusog naman kami. Hahah! Di nga maubos-ubos ang pagkain eh. Sayang. Binigay namin ang kayang ibigay sa admin and utility. Haha.

Na-excite ako sa exchange gift. First, sa binigay ko. Kasi si Rose Anne nabunot ko, then alam niya kasi she was behind me when I opened up the paper with the wish list... Kahit walang pangalan, halata kung sino eh... Puro Alapag! Anyway, ang swerte ko at nakahanap ako ng jersey ni Alapag. Original daw... Hahah! Ok lang actually sa'kin yung price kasi Rose is one of those people na na-appreciate ko talaga. So I really wanted to make it special, a way to say thanks for everything.

Syempre na-excite din ako sa makukuha ko. Hahah. Si Ma. Joy nakabunot sa'kin... Di daw siya nakabili ng Death Note na bag kaya she gave me a cute sling bag... OK lang din sa'kin yun kasi cute naman eh! Hahaha. Bag lang naman din gusto ko eh. Bonus lang pag anime na cool. Wahaha.

So after the party, I was planning on going home and sleep like a lazy bum all day. But then, Bebe decided to go to Megamall and they invited me... So of course I went with. Hahah! I meant that... went with. I'm so paranoid but hey, it's my blog. No room for anyone else with an ego since mine is filling it all up. Hahah! Anyway... Where was I? Oh yeah. So we went to Mega... At first, wala lang. We were just walking around the department store and sa Atrium... Then pumunta kaming food court. After namin maka-salubong mga tao... like schoolmates and classmates... we walked around trying to decide which drink to buy. Hahaha! Ganyan pag wala ng pera, namimili kahit inumin... Turns out bumalik lang din kami sa unang stall. Hahaha!

After that nagyaya ako sa Comic Alley. Sabi ko kasi mamimili ako for my sis... Nakabili naman. Buti na lang pala di ako nabigyan ng Death Note bag kasi yun nalang binili ko for her. At least makakahiram ako paminsan-minsan! Hahahah! Yun yun eh!

Di yun... Wala na kaming magawa so pumunta kami kina Joyce. Ang balak, manonood kami ng DVD... Kaso nag-pusoy lang kami for 3 hours... Hahah! Di ko na naabutan ang DVD kasi nagyaya si Rose na umuwi na kami... Sumama naman ako. Wala kasing susundo sa'kin pag ginabi kaya alam kong pauuwiin ako ng maaga... Grr. As if di ko kayang umuwi. Tagal ko nang umuuwi ng gabing-gabi noh. Hahah!

Di yun. Hahah. After I got home I took a shower and fell asleep. Pag-gising ko almost 11 na. Kumain pa ako. Hahah! Ginuilt trip pa ako ng Mom ko kasi di raw ako naghugas ng pinggan... Actually, it's not as if I tried na tumakas. Sabi ko kasi gisingin ako pag kakain kasi alam kong ako maghuhugas. Hahah. Di na ko ginising eh. Or baka para akong bato na walang naririnig. Hahaha.

So now, instead going back to sleep straight after like I was told, I am writing this. Hahah. It's pretty long as well. Hahah. Ok, time for fanfics! Ciao!

Of pad paper, pentel, and masking tape...

2008-07-04T04:44:00.000-07:00

A new hobby in our class seems to be... sticking notes on other people's backs.

It's one of my hobbies now too... Lemme show you some of our pranks.

The sign's not really that funny... but it's kinda stupid not to notice such a huge piece of paper on your back... Hahah.

Oooohhh... We got him good on this one... He stood up to report and everyone saw it... Man. It was a good idea to put it on his arm. He didn't think we put it there so he only checked his back...

This is karma, James! Hahah.

This one's good too... You're probably thinking, who didn't notice so many pieces of paper and tape on his back... Hahah. It's John! Hahah.

Another one of John. He got up and reported while we were all cheering "Aja! Aja!" and also "MCoy, Mcoy!" Haha. Took him a while to get all of them...

Duh... This is Melo. I stuck it on his back and he took it off. I grabbed it and asked if I could take a picture... and he said yes... When I showed it to him he was all, "Hala! Dapat tinignan ko muna! Bakit si Asymptote pa!" Hahah.

This is Marc. He succumbed to my annoyingness and posed for a picture... in exchange that I stop pulling stuff on him... Psshh. As if. Hahah!

Ooohhh... I like this one! You can try to guess who it is, you'll see in the next pic anyway. FYI I didn't put it, mmkay? I just took the piccy. Diana was the culprit. Hahah.

It was Mikhail! Hahah.. He stayed pretty still and was unsuspecting even if we were quite noisy in taking the pictures... Hahah.

This is John again. Again, he didn't notice. He stayed pretty still, good for me.

Here's John again. This time he posed.

Here's Oliver... posing.

Aaanndd... Melo again, posing again... Haha.

Now, obviously, this wasn't a prank.

Camera Use...

2008-07-04T04:40:00.000-07:00

There's a new use for my camera - taking pictures of things I'm getting too lazy to copy.

Ergo, here is the Calculus assignment. Nos. 14 to 19, 'kay? Unfortunately, you'll have to tilt your head. Oh yeah, if you want, I could just email it to you.

Tagged...

2008-07-02T05:36:00.000-07:00

Note: I've been postponing this... names are random, okay? My sister helped me. Except for 17. I just had to put him there. Haha!

Instructions:

1. Tag 7 people before answering this stuff.
2. Do not peek at the questions below or even try to remember it while reading.
3. Replace the 20 random friends of the one who tagged you with your own 20 random friends.
4. Don't create a particular order, it will make the game boring.
5. Answer the questions below after.

20 random names:

1. Nikko Roxas
2. Joyce Pimentel
3. Diana Santiago
4. RC Pagtalunan
5. James Silao
6. Marc Fajardo
7. Angelique Piano
8. Cheska Magcaleng
9. Nikko Buenaseda
10. Oliver Tabell
11. Daniel Frago
12. Anna de Villa
13. Paolo Reyes
14. Michelle Barlaan
15. John Salvosa
16. Gracel Belen
17. Amiel Melosantos
18. AJ Rayo
19. Cedric Vergel
20. Angelo Romasanta

Questions:
1. What if #7 told you he/she likes you?
Hmm… I think she does like me. Whoa there, malisyoso/a! I meant as a friend, duh!

2. What if #15 and #17 dated?
Ooohhh… Something to think about! Hahah.

3. What if di mo nakilala si #19?
Hahaha. I guess I wouldn’t have had competition during 1^st year… I know what you’re thinking, but you know what? This is my blog, it revolves around me. If you have a problem with that, click the little x in the top right corner of the screen! Haha.

4. What if nagsuntukan/nagsampalan kayo ni #16?
It’s possible, but I would probably end up in the hospital, connected to IVs and life support… because of my aversion to physical fighting… I prefer the verbal blade… Haha.

5. What if #1 is a lost sibling?
I don’t think it’s possible. I also have too many siblings to have another. But if he were, he’d be my younger brother *cough*utusan*cough*… Haha.

6. What do you like about #4?
Hmm… Let me think… Joke! I guess her creativity and PR… and others I can’t think of at the moment… Haha…

7. What do you hate about #10?
Uhmmm… I guess he was kinda pikon before… I’m not sure about now…

8. What is the most memorable moment you had with #12?
Uhhhh… I don’t remember…?

9. What things do you have in common with #5?
Hmm… We’re both *cough*talented and real*cough* musicians… Haha. We are… academically-gifted…? Hahah.

10. What is the worst thing #20 did to you?
Oohhh… I swear, I didn’t pick the arrangement, my sister did, RANDOMLY! Stop your train of thought, loser! I didn’t choose this… But seriously… Hmm… If and when he ever talked about me behind my back, I guess…

11. Would you love #2?
I guess yeah… as a friend. Just as a clarification to those twisted minds. Haha.

12. Would you die for #6?
NO. I’d probably laugh if he were dying in front of me… Joke!

13. Would you kill # 15 for a million dollars?
Hmm… Just kidding! Of course not… I probably wouldn’t have enough backbone. Besides, he might crack some jokes and then I’d feel bad… Haha.

14. Would you marry #14?
No. Jeez… I’m not a lessy…

15. Would you trade places with #3?
Hmm… Probably not. I love my life, thank you very much.

16. What present would you give to #18 on Christmas?
Ohh… I dunno. Guy stuff? Or something. Maybe a journal for his poems and stuff…

17. What do you envy about #8?
Her big eyes… Joke! Hahah… Her allowance?

18. What would you do if #17 became a homosexual?
Whaa…? Anong “if”? Hahaha!

20. What would you do if #13 and #11 fought?
I’d let them fight. I don’t care… Joke! They’d probably fix it… or not get into a fight at all.

21. Describe #11.
Hmm… A guy I love teasing. Haha. Seriously. A bit neutral, good PR. The SG President.

22. If there would be a #21, who would it be?
Anyone, I guess. I’m just typing responses here…

23. What is #10's catch phrase?
“Uhh…” Joke… I’m not sure.

24. Do you think you and #3 could date?
The way friends date.

25. Did you ever dream of #18?
Not that I recall… I did have a dream about my classmates back in Grade 5… Maybe he was there… I rarely dream… or recall them anyway.

Road Trip

2008-05-25T20:33:00.000-07:00

Okay.. So last Saturday, my family went on a road trip. We were with my relatives on my dad's side.

It was great. We first went to Liliw, and there my shopping-crazy mother bought shoes, really cheap. You could buy 5 pairs of shoes for the price of 1 in Manila. Anyway...

Then we ate at this pretty cool restaurant named Arabela. My dad called it a "hobbit's hang-out" 'cause it had a very low roof. Food was very nice, the menu was Italian.

We then went to a sort of vacation house linked to the restaurant, named Balay Celina. When I saw it, I was all, "Okay, I now know how my future house will look like." Hahah. It was designed in a Balinese style, by this famous artist surnamed Santiago. He apparently died last December. The house was so amazing, it was too bad that all that talent was lost.

From there, we went to Majayjay Falls. Beautiful. And the water was freezing. Haha. Two of my cousins went in for a dip. I was, unfortunately, wearing rubber shoes, inhibiting my chance of wading. Haha.

It was nearing 5 or 6 when we went back to Los Banos. We did not go to our grandparent's house. Haha. No. We stayed in this nice place called Pook ni Maria Makiling. Kind of creepy but nice. Hated our bathroom though. I liked the other ones... Hahah. Stayed up 'til 2. I don't know what time the parents signed off.

I was rudely awakened at around 9. Had breakfast. Then we had our own service.

We packed up our stuff and went to this really cool restaurant we went to once before. Our dads knew it, duh, they grew up in LB...

It's behind the Municipal Hall. Tago. Haha. But it's nice, over the water, nice decorations. Relaxing. It's called "....Dalampasigan." Forgot. Hahah.

There was a group of musicians who sang to us. You see, we were celebrating our grandparent's 54th anniversary. In advance. Something about avoiding the stampede. Inside thing.

And that concluded our stay. We went back home. My aunt let me hear this violin version of "You" by the Carpenters. She wants me to play it at the 25th anniversary of my uncle and aunt when they come back from the States. We're really involved in the whole thing... I think we're gonna be the choir...

Haha. I have a really cool 9-year old cousin. She can play the drums. Haha. Her brother is learning guitar. They're playing in a band sometime before school. Buti pa sila. Haha. I love my talented and funny family.

Brilliance and Hilarity.

2008-05-18T23:23:00.000-07:00

So... Yesterday, my family went to 8 Waves. It was pretty cool. Another cool fact is that we went because of CHURCH. And also, the kids were FREE, paid by the Church. Haha. And, I was able to finish Memnoch.

It. Was. Brilliant.

The whole concept is so BLASPHEMOUS and yet, it was BRILLIANT. It was a mix of scientific and theological concepts of creation and such, the questions of life- before and after. While I believe it's a wonderful book, I wouldn't recommend it to people with wavering faith. The arguments are a bit absurd but, hey, you can never be sure. Malay mo? Haha.

The way it was written, you would be torn between feeling bad for Memnoch and for being a bit pissed, as Lestat was. To think, Lestat's reaction actually DID fulfill what Memnoch wanted. It's like everything did fall into place as he [Memnoch] wanted. He didn't expect some events to happen to Lestat, but even those events helped him, ultimately.

Another thing about this book is that you would really love it and yet, you would never wish to find any confirmation of the sort. It would shake you to the core. It is kind of cool to know that you still have a chance to redeem yourself, but still, it could totally destroy what you believe in.

The hilarious thing... Well, it's about my Dad. I'm banned from posting what happened, but I can say that he had a sort of mishap. And it was so funny, we laughed about it for hours afterward.

A thing I love about my Dad is that he can make us laugh. If he does something others would be embarassed about, he doesn't feel ashamed. I mean, yeah, you don't need to be embarassed if it wasn't sin you committed. Anyway... I also appreciate the fact that he LET us POKE FUN at him. We we're insulting him in front of others, not family members, and he just laughed with us. And you can see what a good quality it is, because those other people were saying that if it had happened in their family, the poor person would be angry. Of course, we were adding insult to injury, but hey, my Dad is awesome enough to laugh with us.

Ja ne.

Books.

2008-05-12T23:18:00.000-07:00

Okay... So I'm currently reading Memnoch the Devil by Anne Rice. I already know the end 'cause I actually read the book after it already. It's classically brilliant.

This summer I have read The Vampire Armand, which is that book after Memnoch. Talk about yaoi. I love it. Hahah. But it's not just got guy-guy, it's got guy-girl... Hahah. I love it.

I have also read The Other Boleyn Girl by Philippa Gregory. And I'm telling you, the movie is nasty. It's such a disappointment, I wanted to turn off the DVD player after the first few minutes. But I endured, only to have my hope that it would get better shattered. The only thing I can commend is the portrayal of Anne by Natalie Portman. She did it well.

About the book, it will be boring if you just read snippets. Like when you're deliberating to buy it. But if you actually sit down and read it, it's addicting. Mind-blowing. Sure, some things are taken out of proportion but, hey, it's fiction.

I have also read the Song of the Lioness Quartet by Tamora Pierce. Yes, I know it's children's fiction. Yes, I know I'm childish. So what? I like fantasy stories. Harry Potter is for children, you know? *belat* Haha. Immature moment over. Anyway. It's really good actually. Hahah. You can pick up a summary on Wikipedia. Hahahah.

Not much books... Last summer I was able to read 15... but at least I'm filtering what I read now. Some of those last year were trash. Pocketbooks. Not novels that are truly worth reading. And when I buy a book I think, is this the kind of book I'd let my family read? or know I read? Haha. So there.

How idiotic.

2008-05-12T23:13:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday was a bad day. But I'll only divulge the biggest event.

My bag was stolen. I was happily shooting computer villains in Time Crisis 3 when I stupidly took off my sling bag and placed it on the floor. During the first part I was constantly checking on it and then... I don't remember. When I looked down, ALMOST finished with the game, well... what do ya know? It's gone.

I lost my crappy but functional phone, my wallet WITH money and an ATM card in it, along with my admission slip for refresher courses, my glasses, my umbrella, my sister's wallet and glasses, and her expensive jewelry she put in the glasses case... for some reason.

How terribly stupid.

And so it begins.

2008-05-12T23:06:00.000-07:00

So...

I have finally given in and started a blog. I wonder what'll happen now.

I guess this will be my ranting area. Whoop-de-doo.