downgraded

I've forgotten how much of a pain it is to use a little keypad. My fingers hurt after five days of having to contend with a barely functioning navigation pad and hard plastic keys.

Nearly two years on, and it's finally time to retire my XDA2. Hahahaha. The old PDA has been going on and on for quite some time now. It still works, but the battery is no longer reliable. The phone will shut down and reset over and over again at the slightest change in temperature.

Using the camera will cause the PDA to reset. I have to charge the phone every time I use Pocket Word or Excel, or when I have to make a call. There goes my portable office. Hahaha.

Now I have to make do with a second-hand Nokia 6020. Argh. From a touch screen to a keypad. Handwriting recognition to text-speak. It's insulting. Hahaha.

Haaay... At least I still have a phone though. There are many others out there who don't have the luxury of complaining about the loss of their portable e-book reader or the removal of their ability to store thousands of text messages.

Look at the bright side, I'll get a new phone by next month. Hahaha. I'll just sell my old phones for quick cash.

that perfect moment

I hadn't seen the inside of a Starbucks in a very long time, so it was a real special treat when I walked into the one at Santana Grove in Sucat this morning.

I had a fun time at our batch reunion last night, even though I was tipsy the whole time from four straight shots of Absolut Vodka. Hahaha. At least I did not walk into any glass doors!

It was all worth it though - I won a Starbucks gift certificate! It's always the little things... That's 100 pesos worth of free stuff from my favorite coffee shop, and I still have that other gift certificate I got nearly two years ago.

So there I was at Santana Grove. I wanted a steaming cup of White Chocolate Mocha, my favorite drink since I discovered coffee. Hahaha. Who knew that I would cause such a fuss in that little shop?

I had been saving my other gift certificate. It was a Christmas gift from my cousins, and it would get me any drink of any size I wanted anytime I wanted it. I was waiting for the perfect moment to cash in that certificate for a Venti White Chocolate Mocha, and I thought, what the hell, better use it now so that I could stay awake during the long journey from Paranaque to Marikina.

My world crumbled when the barista told me that the certificate was no longer valid.

Exxagerated, yes, but I realized a lot right there and then. I just ordered a tall drink. 125 pesos for coffee. How sad. Hahaha.

Waiting for that one perfect moment cost me my gift certificate.

I sat on that certificate for nearly a year, waiting for the one perfect moment to use it. A lot of opportunities came by, but I chose to hold back and wait for another time, one better than the opportunity I had right then and there.

The ironic thing is that I myself had no idea what "the one perfect moment" was.

It was just something I thought I would know when it came, but everytime I had an opportunity, I always thought that it was not the right time. Always. I waited for perfection.

But nothing is ever perfect.

It's not just with coffee (Oo may lesson dito hahaha). Nothing is perfect. No one is perfect. There is no such thing as perfection. There is no such thing as "the perfect moment".

There is only the here and the now.

Live life, live each moment to the fullest. You never know when that one moment would be your last. You never know when that would be your last chance.

You may be so engrossed with waiting for that impossible perfect moment that you let life pass you by.

It's not that we should live loose and fast. It's not that we should be careless with our lives. It's not that we should not plan for the future. It's all about making each moment, each day, each opportunity count.

Hahaha. All this because of a cup of coffee. But there is more to this tale. I was waiting for my coffee at the counter when the barista asked to see the gift certificate again. She said that she wanted to ask their manager about it. Guess what?
The certificate was still good.

Hahaha. We all had a good laugh over how I had kept it with me for a very very long time. Apparently, the certificate had no expiration date, but they were using a different color for their certificates already - it was that old.

I'll have that Venti White Chocolate Mocha next time I go to Starbucks. Hehehe.

pushing forward

Time travel is a very fascinating idea. Who would not want to go back into the past and see how history was made? Who would not want to go into the future to see how things will be?
Who would not want to have the power to change things by going back or jumping forward?

In computer games there is always some sort of a "save" system. The player can pause the game at any time and "save" his progress. If things go bad, the player can always "load" that save file and start over from that point in the game.
If only life had a save system.

There are many things in the past which I want to witness for myself. As a child, I wanted to go back to the age of the dinosaurs and see with my own eyes my favorite animals. As a teenager, I wanted to go back through human history and watch how wars were fought and won, how civilization evolved and moved forward.

There were times when I wanted to go back in time to correct a mistake, to change an error, or to do things in a different way. With the clear vision of hindsight...

There were also times when I wanted to go back in time to relive a certain moment, to be with a certain someone once again, to be in a special place one more time. Just one more time...

If only I could turn back time...

I don't know exactly what triggered this feeling. Reminiscing. Remembering. Hoping.

Could it have been my experience at the DENR? I spent most of last night tossing and turning in bed, moving in and out of sleep. I actually dreamt of writing that story when I fell asleep. I thought of writing that story when I was awake. Overly grade-conscious, yes, but that doesn't explain why I am what I am today.

Could it have been my time at the Sunken Garden? Staring out at the long green grass, with birds flying all around, and with soft, puffy clouds up in the blue sky... Maybe.

It could have been because I read my old blog posts for the first time in months. I have a feature article to write for Friday, and I looked at my old blog about Palawan to get an idea of what to write for that article.

I soon ended up reading my other old blog posts, reminiscing about times gone by, remembering cherished moments, hoping that I could relive them one more time.

While browsing through YouTube the other day I stumbled upon this little video clip from CNN. This may very well be the closest thing we can have to time travel. Dr. Mallet proposes a "time travel machine" which works by twisting space with lasers, which in effect also twists time thus creating a sort of "loop" through time. The catch, though, is that if we ever get that machine up and running and capable of physically transporting a human instead of just subatomic particles, the farthest we can reach back in the past is only to the time wherein the "time machine" was first turned on.

In the same way, with my blog I can only go back to the time wherein I first wrote in my blog. I only have a personal record of my past -other than the memories locked in my mind- up until my very first blog post.

I can only go back to January 18, 2005. Hahaha. Just a little more than three years. Rereading my old blog really brings back memories. It also allowed me to see how much I've changed over the years.

I want to point out two of my old blog posts. One was about a national issue while the other was about how I thought things should be. Now, three years later, I write about very different things in a very different way.

In a way, I miss how I was able to write about issues and current events. I miss how I was able to articulate a call for change in my blog. Over time, however, I became disillusioned. Nothing was happening anyway, and I realized that I was writing about the same things, the same people, and the same problems over and over again. And I don't want to keep on repeating myself. About the only change I can expect is the change that I can effect as a student, as a future journalist, as an org president, as a future president.

Change. The only thing constant in the universe is change.

A lot of things have changed. Over the years, I have changed.

Time travel is a fascinating idea, yes, but why pine for a way to go back into the past when one can move forward into the future?

I want to see the past as much as anybody. I want to go back and change things if only could. But would I really want to change history?

I am a different person today. My experiences in the past have made me so. The people I met, the people I left, the mistakes I made, the success I enjoyed, the choices, the decisions, the conflicts - everything has contributed to what I am today.

The past will always remain the past. "Past is past", a friend once said. You can reminisce all you want. You can remember all you can. You can hope to change what you've done or to go back to what you were all you want, but the past will always remain the past.

You cannot do anything about the past. You can only keep moving forward into the future.

Learn from the past. Learn from your mistakes. Learn from your success. Keep pushing forward.

I remember now. I watched Meet the Robinsons on the Disney Channel last Sunday. "Keep moving forward".

up for freshies

***

This is my final paper for one of my Journalism classes.

***

First off, let me welcome you to the University of the Philippines. You are now an Iskolar ng Bayan, one of the few who make it into the premier university of the country.

You are now entering a new world where you will learn new things and face new challenges.

Life in UP is not like life in high school. You will be on your own in this new world; no one will be there to hold your hand or to tell you what to do.

During my first week as a UP student, I got lost a lot of times. I simply did not know where to go.

The UP campus is huge. There are many buildings and places to go to. As freshmen, there are five places you have to know by heart, besides your home college of course.

Number one: Palma Hall.

A lot of your time will be spent here, as most of the general education subjects are held in this building. It will be hard to miss, as all the jeepneys in UP pass either in front or behind it. Just look for the huge columns and the famous steps where students go to meet friends, to study, or to just pass the time.

Of course, it was not that simple for me during my first days in UP. All the jeepneys do pass Palma Hall (or AS, for Arts and Sciences), you just have to know what to look for. At that time I did not know anything about the campus, let alone which building was which, so I often went right past Palma Hall. Here's a tip: when you see a lot of people –as in A LOT of people- that would most likely be Palma Hall.

Another thing about AS is that it does not have 4000 rooms. My first class there was at PH 4124, and I had absolutely no idea where that was. Guess what I did.

I followed every room since I did believe then that there were 4000 rooms. So I went from the first floor to the fourth floor looking for PH 4124. I did find room 1001 at the ground floor, but by then I was already huffing and puffing, not to mention extremely late for my class.

I finally gave up, swallowed my pride, and asked the nearest security guard where my class was. It turned out that I was in the wrong building. Besides the huge main building, Palma Hall has four pavilions and one annex. The room numbers do not show the actual number of rooms, they are location codes. As such, PH 4124 is read as Palma Hall Pavillion 4, 1^st floor, Room 24.

One thing you must always remember is that there is nothing wrong with asking questions. Ask for help if and when you need it. It is more embarrassing to not ask and be wrong in the end.

Of course, you should be wary of one thing. When looking for TBA, do not ask upperclassmen. Most UP students, if not all, seem to find this as an excuse to play a prank on unsuspecting freshies like you. I know I did. But I'm turning over a new leaf. To save you the trouble of asking, TBA means "to be announced" and not "top of Business Administration" or "Teodoro Benigno Annex".

Number two: Gonzalez Hall.

Also known as the Main Library, this is the building seen behind the Sunken Garden. It is just a short walk from Palma Hall. Much of your time MUST be spent here, since many of your classes will require research. Books, people. Wikipedia is overrated. And there are a lot of books here. I'm a voracious reader, and in five years I've read barely 1% of all the books in the library. You will most likely be using three sections of the Main Library: General Reference, Social Sciences, and Filipiniana. The General Reference and Social Science sections are on the first floor; from the entrance, GenRef is to the left and SocSci is to the right. The Filipiniana section is at the ground floor; go down the stairs to the left of the entrance.

Of the three, the best place to be would be the General Reference section. It is airy and quiet, easily conducive to sleeping. Just kidding. This is where you will find the free Wi-Fi service courtesy of DILNET. However, Friendster cannot be accessed from here.

Most of the readings for your classes will be found at the Social Science and Filipiniana sections, unless your professors are kind enough to have photocopied the needed books beforehand (which is very rare) or if they are at the Shopping Center, which would be the next stop on our tour.

Before we move on though, remember that there are also other libraries scattered all over the campus. Every college has its own library. Some of your readings may only be found in one or two of the different college libraries, so be prepared to go library hopping.

Number three: the Shopping Center.

Just an Ikot ride away from Palma Hall or a short walk from the Main Library, everything you could possibly need can be found here. There is a grocery store with all the food and supplies you will need. There are a lot of computer shops here for your printing, typing, and research needs. Yes, you can access Friendster here. Most of the photocopying shops are here too, along with some of your required readings.

The food shops here –Rodics, especially- are some of the best –and the cheapest- in the entire campus.

You can also find UP memorabilia, clothes, eyeglasses, school supplies, even rare movies. I only found out about the latter a few days ago. Try to go to the second floor of the first shop (Mister Donut) in the left wing of the building. Along with pocket books are hard-to-find movies, series, and computer programs; all of which can be bought cheap.

With the high cost of tuition nowadays, you need all the breaks you can get.

Number four: the Sunken Garden.

Life in UP is not all about studying. Don't get me wrong, it's very important to study here. However, all work and no play is boring, not to mention dangerous. You have to strike a balance between the two; you run the risk of burning out if you do not take some time out to relax.

This is where the Sunken Garden comes in. Found behind the Main Library, you would be hard pressed to miss this vast expanse of green. This is undeniably one of the best places to relax and unwind after a day of exams, reports, and papers. The tall acacia trees provide shade from the sun, and the air is almost always cool.

People come here to hang out with friends, play games, or just to sit and think. Kite flying, football, Ultimate Frisbee, baseball, badminton… The list of what you could do there is endless.

When I find the time to go there I just sit on the grass and watch the clouds or the people playing in the field. Sometimes I bring a book along with me.

The Sunken Garden is not the only place in UP where you can relax though. There are many other parks throughout the campus, foremost of which is the Lagoon. Found between the UP Theater and the Vargas Museum, this is the place to go for total peace and quiet.

The Lagoon opens up to the Amphitheatre and our next and last stop: Quezon Hall.

Number five: Quezon Hall.

To everything there must be an end. Our stay in UP will eventually come to an end, and the only way we should meet that end is by going through Quezon Hall.

The Oblation statue (or a copy of it) can be found in front of the tall columns of the building facing University Avenue. Behind Quezon Hall is the Amphitheatre, an expanse of grass comparable to the Sunken Garden but used for a different purpose.

This is where graduation ceremonies are held. If you study hard, in four to five years you will be one of the many white-clad students standing in the Amphitheatre waiting to be awarded their diplomas.

The ultimate goal for all of us should be to finish our courses, get our degrees, and share our knowledge and experience with the outside world.

As an Iskolar ng Bayan, a UP graduate must use the education and training given to him by the Filipino people to serve the Filipino nation.

That's it for our short "tour" of the University of the Philippines Diliman Campus. Remember that these are not the only places to see in the campus. I leave the others to you. Explore the place; you might find something new and unusual.

Good luck and enjoy your stay in UP!

time crisis

There, I've calmed down somewhat.

A few minutes ago I was shivering like crazy. I still can't understand why. Who knew that a spark of inspiration could lead to this?

I'm supposed to give a report on broadcasting history for class on Thursday. Yes, THURSDAY. Two days from now. I've researched the topic already, and the only thing keeping me from setting a lifetime record by FINISHING THE REPORT ONE DAY EARLY is the question of presentation.

It hit me this morning, and I've been 'overstaying' here at home to try to further develop the idea.

I stumbled upon one Internet site which had a list of historic radio broadcasts. If you click on the link, try and guess which one I listened to first.

So there I was, complete with earphones and all. The screen was blank, so I felt like I was just listening to the radio.

Why the shivering? I GOT SCARED. It all felt so real, like I WAS REALLY THERE. The illusion was so complete that for a moment I got lost in time.

Of course it could be the one cup of coffee I drank this morning, but there was something...

...else.

I'm going to eat lunch now. I've got a class at 1 PM. I'll finish the report tomorrow.

***
Words of wisdom:
"If it bleeds, it leads." - from yesterday's Journalism 101 class

raindrops are falling on my head

This is starting to become a habit.

With Monday having been declared as a 'special holiday', I'm looking at an extremely long weekend. I've been cooped up here at home since Wednesday, thanks to the torrential rains brought by the typhoon.

Of course this 'vacation' will cost us all time and money, not to mention opportunities. Yes, opportunities to learn and do things, to meet other people, to go places. But for me, it's mostly about missing my allowance.

Having to go to school at 10AM everyday has been a blessing. I haven't yet experienced the frustration of learning that classes have been suspended again while being stuck in a flooded street. However, that has not made me any less annoyed at the dolts in the DepEd or CHED or NDCC or the local government or whoever the hell is supposed to suspend classes. You would think that these guys would have learned by now that suspending classes at the last minute is not a very good idea.

The irony just amazes me. The DepEd and CHED should have learned something by now about typhoons and their effect on our overcrowded metropolis.

There's something else I wanted to write about here, but I just can't remember what it was. My short-term memory seems to be going haywire; sometimes I look up from what I was doing and forget what I was doing. This problem manifests itself mostly when I'm doing something on the computer. I open up a new tab and then I forget what page I wanted to open in that new tab. I open up a webpage and once it's up I forget why I opened it up. I plan to do something yet a moment later I forget what it was and end up doing nothing. It's really frustrating.

Maybe it's the stress of having to do so much in such a small amount of time. This little vacation sure as hell won't help matters! Once the rains end the work is going to pour down in a torrent, and time is against me. One and a half months to go ladies and gentlemen. One and a half months to go before my fate is finally sealed.

Nah, September is still a long way off. I'll probably be able to manage, especially with all the success I've experienced in the past weeks. Unless something else really screws everything up.

Haaay... I really love the weather, especially now that my shoes have finally been fixed. What were once battered pieces of leather worn and weathered by two years of unforgiving use are once again 100% capable of charging through mud and flood, keeping my feet safe and warm. Now all I need is a new jacket and a new bag. Attrition is eating everything up, and the meager resources I have on hand are just not enough to keep my things in shape.

So, what else can I write about? The final battle scene from Return of the Jedi is taking quite some time to download, and I have to do SOMETHING to combat the boredom inherent with waiting.

Ah... Waiting. My most annoying pet peeve. I don't like waiting. I can't emphasize this enough. I abhor, despise, loathe waiting. I HATE waiting. I-- well would you look at that, download complete!

I need some coffee.

midnight coffee break

Mid-semester already, and things have taken a turn for the better. The two typhoons which hit the country last week did more than fill up reservoirs and water dry fields; they also gave me a lot of breathing space.

My Film 100 report has been pushed back a full two weeks, giving me a lot of time to fix up my Powerpoint presentation. My Natural Science 2 exam, originally scheduled for last Thursday, was a cake walk when I took it this afternoon.

I also got the results of my English 1 exam today. I really enjoy being singled out for recognition and, yes, this morning was no exception. Ahhh... I can already hear the Hallelujah chorus...

How I wish that everyday would be like today, with everything falling into place right where I want them. THAT is my perfect world - everything goes MY way.

Maybe that's why I have such an aversion to democracy.

Right, my inner dictator is once again asserting itself- down Adolf, down! Okay. The caffeine is really coming in strong.

I'm back to two cups of coffee everyday; the regular supply of milk and sugar has been reestablished. The random instances of perkiness and unexplained delight have also returned.

Remember my posts about anti-insect weapons, what Albert so fittingly called SLLs (sandatang laban sa lamok)? Well, I guess my dream of a complete and effective defense against those useless and annoying bloodsuckers is one step closer to reality.

Yes, ladies and gentlemen, one step closer, thanks to the USB Rocket Launcher! I'm not kidding folks! For only a little less than 5000 pesos I can have one of these babies up and running (firing, actually) in minutes.

Of course it's not accurate or fast enough to take out my little bloodsucking friends, but it's good enough to defend my space from my little sister's dog. Hehehe...

Who knows? Maybe in a few years my dream would finally become a reality... Bwahahaha! Now if THAT dream could become a reality, why not the OTHER dream too?

Guess what that one is...

who the hell are these people?!?

ramblings

It's a miracle. I have nothing to do, so I now have some time to just sit back and relax, and maybe even reflect; if only the damned infernal heat would let up my relaxation would be complete. The past year had brought a lot of changes into my life; some welcome, most not. A lot of things have happened, but I shall spare the reader a long and rambling account of yesteryear. Let's focus on today, shall we? Dwelling on the past will get you nowhere. I am now forced to make decisions which I have never even dreamed of making. I am facing problems which I have never even considered facing. I must be getting old. Yes, that's it. I'm no longer a kid, I'm 20 years old! Damn! How I wish that I could escape from this nightmare. Sometimes l hope to wake up in a luxurious mansion, free from all these problems. Escapism. Shit. What the hell happened to "not one step backwards?" Well, you idiot, that's a line from Enemy at the Gates! And Call of Duty, in the Russian campaign. Those poor peasants, they had no choice but to run into German machine guns, or else face the guns of Russian commissars. Talk about being between a rock and a hard place. I may have to rethink some of my policies. I may have to rethink my strategies. I may have to reassess my objectives. Machiavelli might have some good pointers. The end justifies the means.

Why is it so hard to build a relationship, so difficult to maintain it, and yet so easy to destroy it? It's so frustrating. Maybe that's what's keeping me up until the wee hours of the morning. But why am I so bothered by this? Why should I lose sleep over such a trivial issue? Why should I care about it? Because she's a friend? Haaay... Maybe that's the problem. Maybe I shouldn't care so much. She doesn't care. Why should I? Yes. That's it. To hell with it all.

My life needs to be reassessed. A lot of things will change. A lot of things have changed.

what time of day are you?

You Are Midnight

You are more than a little eccentric, and you're apt to keep very unusual habits. Whether you're a nightowl, living in a commune, or taking a vow of silence - you like to experiment with your lifestyle. Expressing your individuality is important to you, and you often lie awake in bed thinking about the world and your place in it. You enjoy staying home, but that doesn't mean you're a hermit. You also appreciate quality time with family and close friends.

What Time Of Day Are You?

the five factor values test

Your Values Profile

Loyalty: You value loyalty a fair amount. You're loyal to your friends... to a point. But if they cross you, you will reconsider your loyalties. Staying true to others is important to you, but you also stay true to yourself. Honesty: You value honesty a fair amount. You're honest when you can be, but you aren't a stickler for it. If a little white lie will make a situation more comfortable, you'll go for it. In the end, you mostly care about "situational integrity." Generosity: You don't really value generosity. Your needs always come first, no matter what. And you'll possibly help someone else out... But only if it helps you in return. Humility: You value humility a fair amount. You tend to be an easy going, humble person. But occasionally your ego takes over. You have a slight competitive streak - and the need to be the best. Tolerance: You value tolerance a fair amount. You are open to new cultures, beliefs, and ideas. You have very few prejudices that you're aware of. And while you are tolerant, you do stand true to what you believe.

The Five Factor Values Test

what do your hands say about you?

What Your Hands Say About You

You are logical, analytical, and rational. You have good verbal skills. Idealistic and dreamy, you tend toward the impractical. You have a knack for getting yourself in sticky situations. Brainy and intelligent, you are intellectual to the point of being incomprehensible. Your emotions tend to be nervous and potent. Your energy - both positive and negative - deeply impacts your life.

What Do Your Hands Say About You?

what does your favorite color say about you?

What Your Favorite Color Black Says About You:

Timeless --- Stylish --- Sophisticated Overpowering --- Intimidating --- Dominant Perfectionist --- Controlling --- Competent

What Does Your Favorite Color Say About You?

friday the 13th

I am so pleased, yet I am also so frustrated.

I went to UP this morning to fix my summer registration. To be able to cancel just one class, I had to wake up at 5:30 AM and get to Econ by 8 AM. I got to school on time, but there was already a line outside the computer room -this was at 8:05 AM. I only got to a computer by 9 AM, which I used for about less than 6 or 7 minutes just to cancel one class. Thanks CRS! The 'new' system, which was probably supposed to 'help' us poor students, really screwed up big time. The monstrous lags yesterday were bad enough with me staring at my computer screen for two hours clicking on reload every few minutes just to access the enlistment page, but denying access to external users because of server overload? And when did this have to happen? RIGHT WHEN I WAS ABOUT TO CANCEL THE DAMN CLASS FROM HERE AT HOME. So I had to sacrifice a few hours of sleep just to beat the lines and get to a DILNET-connected computer just so I could spend five minutes to log-on and click on one little button named 'cancel'.

Yes. Five hours of preparation and waiting just so I could use a computer for five minutes.

After canceling my summer enlistment (vacation time!) I decided to get my class cards. I was in UP already so there was no sense in going back on Monday just to get class cards. I also got my TCG from SE101 so I passed my one and only application for shifting to AS101. Then it was off to PH 124 then to the Faculty Center for my class cards.

POLSC 150: 1.25
POLSC 160: 1.75
ECON 109: 1.25

LATIN 10: 2.25
CRAP.

I did not even bother to get my Persian 10 class card (supposedly [according to CRS] it's a 2); George W. Bush can nuke Iran for all I care.

I even got my papers from my pol sci subjects, which just intensified my frustration. I got a 94 (!!!) on my 12-page Polsc 150 case study and an 85 (!?) on my Polsc 160 journal article review. I was so pleased at the results, yet so intensely frustrated at the fact that my efforts could be in vain just because my cumulative GWA is now 2.05 thanks to my two language electives.

Enough ranting. I'm hungry.

great expectations

Apparently, things have a funny way of not going the way I planned. I took two language electives last semester to counterbalance my one economics and two political science courses; a little something to break the monotony of reading endless volumes and to bump up my GWA for the sem. Now, the grades are out, and guess what? I've got ones on my three major subjects and twos on my supposedly life-saving, grade-bumping language electives, turning what should have been a GWA of 1.4 to a 1.7! Granted, an average of 1.7 is a high one, and it's the highest I've ever gotten since starting out in UP, but it is just not good enough for me! (grade conscious ba?) It's a matter of pride, yes, but this latest setback has lessened my chances of getting into CSSP. I guess I now have to consider applying at NCPAG or at CAL, and face another three years of college. Hell, I want to graduate already! Haaay... But that's the way the cookie crumbles folks. I'm going to UP today to try to talk some sense into one of my professors (read: beg) and somehow salvage this debacle. It's a long shot, yes, but it just might save my skin in the long run. Yes, that's it: a desperate operation to try to change a ''2" into at least a "1.5". Hehehe... This is the new me: quibbling over a .5. What the hell. It just might work.

***
This would also be the perfect excuse to get out of the house. Though they haven't manifested themselves yet, boredom and insomnia due to idleness is a clear and present danger to my sanity. I need something to do besides staring at our antiquated CRT monitor for hours on end every single day. Of course a new computer with all the bells and whistles (read: Intel Core 2 Duo + GeForce 8800 + 4GB RAM + 250GB hard drive + Windows Vista) along with a brand new copy of Command and Conquer 3 would do much to quell all my feelings of boredom, but it sure as hell won't do much good for my insomnia I suppose. Back on topic though, the green of the Sunken Garden would do wonders for my mind, and my feet do miss walking around. Oh well, at least I would be doing something else to get my mind off the heat here at home.

***
By the way, congratulations to all those who've graduated!

home stretch

Another sunset, and the semester is one day closer to its end.

Coffee on such a hot day may be seen as some to be a bit eccentric, but to me it is a fitting way to relax after 9 hours of work.

At the UP Main Library there is one perfect spot for me. The coffee dispenser is only a few feet away, there is a beautiful view of the sky and the trees, and the silence is just what my overheated mind needs.

Yes. Silence. Isolation. Reflection.

The end is in sight. After my final exams on the 31st I would finally be able to rest and relax once again.

For the near future, at least.

Ad astra per aspera

the force is strong with me

Your overconfidence is your weakness. -Luke Skywalker

Last night I said that I had an exam in Econ 109 today. That exam was supposed to start at 8:30 in the morning. Guess where I was at 8:20. Hehehehe... I left home at exactly 8:30, and I only got on an FX by 8:45. Needless to say I was already fuming; my temper was already rising to dangerous levels. Sure, I was late in leaving for school since I just had to open up the computer and check my mail and backup my XDA and watch some videos on YouTube, but the FX driver was also to blame for my tardiness because he was not at the terminal when I arrived! Yes. The FX driver is to blame. Not me. Certainly not my addiction to the Internet. No way.
I got to my classroom by 9:15. With only 45 minutes to spare, I immediately started on the exam. I wrote so furiously that my pen actually gave up on me halfway into the second essay question. When it was all over I had filled up one and a half sheets of yellow paper. In 45 minutes. Wow. Of course I was overconfident for a reason: it was an open-book exam. The answers were never more than 5 inches away from me. Two nights before I had already read the two assigned chapters and highlighted all the important details. I expect to see another "1" next week. How's that for confidence?

Your faith in your friends is yours. -Emperor Palpatine

My troubles, if you could call them that, did not end with my exam. There was still that one-page Latin short story to translate. The assignment was given last Tuesday. We were supposed to meet yesterday, but no one showed up at the designated place at the appointed time. History repeats itself. Guess how much my groupmates and I had done by lunch time of the deadline. Translation is not an exact science. You do not just get a dictionary and replace latin word with english word. You have to consider the context of the sentence. You have to take into account the culture of the time in which the document you're trying to translate was written. And you cannot just move on after translating a sentence, you have to polish it up so that it would have meaning in the English language. It's just like writing a paper for grammar class, or a blog, except that you have to be able to choose and use exactly the right words and you have to be extremely careful with the cases and the numbers and the persons and the moods and the genders of every single noun, adjective, verb, and adverb or else what you come up with would amount to pure gobbledygook. So we were only at the third sentence. Big deal. Our Latin class was at 2:30. In the excitement of meticulously poring over the definition and inflection of every single word in the text I sort of forgot to eat lunch. A cup of hot brewed coffee replaced rice. It had such a stimulating effect that all the way into my Political Science 150 class I was twitching and shaking. Come Latin class the fruit of our labor was finally put to the test. Our hard work was not without reward, as we garnered 8 points before the class had to be dismissed due to lack of time. And because of the lack of time everyone was given the full 10 points to be added to the second exam. Weeee!

It is pointless to resist, my son. -Darth Vader/Anakin Skywalker

To reward myself for my recent successes on the academic front and to congratulate myself for living through such a hectic and stressful day, I just had to have a plate of California Maki and Tuna Sushi at Teriyaki Boy. My lunch was at 6 in the evening. It's ironic. We're just friends now, and there we were, having dinner at a restaurant after such a long time without ever going out on a date. I had planned on watching Letters from Iwo Jima at the cinema, but unfortunately only Ayala cinemas were playing it. I had no plans of going all the way to Makati at such a late hour. Blue Wave Marikina beckoned, and there we went. When you're in a celebratory mood, stay away from any arcade; it will suck you in and bleed you dry, especially when it has Time Crisis 3 in it! 150 pesos in 30 minutes. Gone. O di immortales!

Everything that has transpired has done so according to my design. -Emperor Palpatine

*Return of the Jedi; Emperor's Throne Room, right before the Rebel Alliance launches its attack on the Second Death Star

new look!

I finally got the chance to refurbish this blog! Hehehehehe...

Enjoy! :D

all i want for christmas is...

My two front teeth.
Yes. Seriously. I've grown tired of the Harry Potter-ish lightning bolt on my front tooth. I want to go see a dentist, but I might be banned from munching on sweets like...

Chocolate.
Hi. My name is Andre, and I'm a chocoholic. The sight of Cloud 9 would get my mouth watering. The scent of Cadbury bars would drive me into a feeding frenzy. The mere thought of Swiss and German chocolates would be like heaven for me. But for now, my Mom's stash of Hershey's Kisses would serve as a worthy snack while watching...

Battlestar Galactica.
So I'm a Sci-fi geek. What would you expect from a guy who has the complete Star Wars Saga and watches it in order every few weeks? I would love to get my hands on the DVDs of seasons 1 and 2 of this series; something to tide me over until Cinemax coughs up Season 3. Yes, it's on YouTube, but why should I spend my days squinting at a little screen when I could be playing...

Medieval 2: Total War.
Ever since I started up Command and Conquer: Red Alert on my very first PC years ago I have been hooked on strategy games. Maybe it's the feeling of power as I command hundreds of troops and decide the fates of virtual nations, or maybe it's the pure sadistic joy of watching poor, hapless peasants being bombarded to death by catapults launching fire pots. Or by the 16-inch guns of an offshore battleship. Or by a squadron of B-2 Stealth Bombers. It all depends on my mood really, but there are times when I just want to sit back, relax, and wish that I could read...

Harry Potter Books 1-6.
Yes, I've read them all already thanks to the magic of the Internet, but I have dreams of having a personal library someday, and I want to expand my collection of non-electronic books. Bookworm that I am, I've also set my sights on...

Ang Paboritong Libro Ni Hudas.
I've always planned to buy this and other books by Bob Ong. My collection of books is so lacking in humor, save for my two...

Pugad Baboy Comic books.
I already have 5 and 6, and the book sale at the Faculty Center had most of the others. It took all my self-control to keep from splurging all my measly economic assets right there and then; I still need the money to buy...

Teeth of the Tiger.
My Tom Clancy collection is nearly complete. This, plus Red Rabbit, will finally round out the fictional novels. Then I can move on to the nonfiction books, like...

Into the Storm.
I have always been interested in military affairs, and this is just one in a series of books which would give me an inside look at the American armed forces. After that maybe I could move on to another author, such as Dale Brown. The first book I would get would be...

Act of War.
Obviously, I'm a war freak. Let's move on, shall we? My birthday is in 9 days. Wow. I'm getting old. But what I'm really looking forward to is...

Dinner at a restaurant of my choice.
I'm thinking of having a...

Tenderloin Steak with Mashed Potatoes at House of Minis.
Or...

Eat-all-you-can Sushi and Sashimi at Saisaki.
However I could also go for the traditional...

Roast Chicken at Kenny Roger's Roasters.
Ever since I had a taste of the scrumptious wood-fire roasted chicken and flavorful gravy and creamy mashed potatoes we had been celebrating my birthday there...

Enough! All this talk about food is making me hungry, and our dinner isn’t ready yet. I only ate a plate of baked macaroni for lunch, and I spent a whole day walking around the campus. I’m so tired and so hungry and so handsome. Come to think of it, maybe what I really want –need- for Christmas is…

A vacation.

connection reestablished

I finally got to update this blog. Hehehehe...



Wala lang... :D