rediscovering work

It's cool. It's calm. It's quiet. I love the weather.

Apparently, a tropical depression is pulling up the monsoon towards our erstwhile oven of a city. More rain is coming, and I love it.

So here I am again. Tuesday morning: the first day of the week. Thank you, UP Admin, for moving the free day from Wednesday to Monday. I really enjoy the three day weekends. Thank you very much for screwing up my biological clock and making me feel very lazy come Tuesday. You only went against nearly a lifetime of starting the week on Monday.

Time to work again. Microsoft Outlook (yes, I use it) just reminded me of my Online Journalism class two hours from now.

I'm currently working on my third paper for my Feature Writing class. I've been sitting on it since Friday, and it's only now -just 22 hours from the deadline- that I'm starting to write it.

Yes, here we go again.

But it's no longer because of procrastination. It's more of distraction. I cannot concentrate on anything. I start something and then as I'm doing it I think of something else; something totally unrelated to what I'm doing.

It's so frustrating.

I don't do it on purpose; it just happens. Argh.

But enough of that. I'm just so frustrated that I plan to do things early but end up cramming a few short hours before the deadline.

Let's just focus on the positive. Every paper I crammed right before the deadline got me high grades. Hahahaha. Yabang mode nanaman.

Siyempre naman no. I got my first "1" for the year last week, and it was for an article which I absolutely hated to write. I did not hate the subject, mind you, but I just felt that i was not up to the task of writing about it.

I had a load of complaints about what I wrote then. I'm my own worst editor; many papers, articles, and even blog posts I wrote in the past never ever saw the light of day because of some nitpicky little error or detail my eagle eyes saw.

Three pages glowed on the screen in front of me. I was not pleased with what I saw. I felt that I could have done better, but drooping eyes and back-to-back yawns were dragging me to dreamland.

Print. Sleep. Pass. Wait. 1.75. Hahaha.

Right. Back to work. This post is actually longer than what I have written in Microsoft Word. Way longer. Time is running out. I have a class in less than two hours. Move, move, MOVE!

rediscovering relaxation

Raindrops are falling on my head. The wind is beating on my back. Water surrounds my feet. I could not care less.

Four hours ago.

The rain came down the moment I stepped off the jeepney. Talk about timing. Lightning flashed in the sky as I walked through a growing flood amid torrents of falling water.

I smiled. I missed walking in the rain. And, for the first time in days, I was not rushing home to finish an assignment. I did not have anything to pass the next day. I had absolutely nothing to do.

I did have to do some light reading, but at least I didn't have to write a paper about what I've read.

Now.

I actually have time to sit back, relax, and enjoy a glass of chocolate milk. Read that? Enjoy. Every sip of pure chocolate-y goodness drains away the stress of the past weeks. Ahhh...

That I'm able to write this blog right now says quite a lot.

Haaay... I love the feeling of not having to do anything.

I feel even more alive. My mind is free. I can now do things which I've put-off due to my back-to-back assignments.

I will de-clutter my room. Not clean, de-clutter. I have to re-organize all the papers and books scattered all over my room.

I will de-clutter my bag. I still have papers from last year adding to the weight I have to carry every single day.

I will check my financial status. I actually have a huge Excel file containing every transaction I've made since November of 2006 in my XDA. I have to summarize and analyze it in order to strengthen my case for another allowance increase.

The inflation is killing me.

But I won't talk about THAT right now. Maybe some other time.

Tomorrow.

UP AstroSoc Applicant's Orientation at 5:30 PM. PAGASA Observatory. Must prepare welcoming speech. Hahahaha.

Member's Refresher Course follows. Overnight at the Sun Deck. Unless it rains again, that is.

I almost forgot. I still have a class in the morning. Hahahaha. Jonats, out.

like i did not see this coming

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multi-slacking

I love the term. I first heard of it through Ate Ekkay's blog, and I identified with it immediately. Hahaha.

I should have finished my Communication 130 synthesis paper and my research for my Journalism 102 and 111 classes this morning. Instead, I finished the first act of Age of Empires 3 and watched Futureweapons on the Discovery Channel.

Given my current tendency to lapse into extreme procrastination, it's a wonder how I got things done in the past weeks.

It's been paper after paper after paper. I've gone to the Jaime V. Ongpin Awards for Excellence in Journalism. I've done one interview and given one other. I wrote a personality profile. I did well in Adobe Photoshop.

It's been problem after problem at the org. Teng is in the hospital. Ritz has an ulcer. All projects have been delayed for a week. Money, as always, is in short supply. And don't get me started on those damned mosquitoes!

So much for that. It really helps to put things in writing. Sometimes, when you least expect it, you get jolted back to reality.

Aside from a tendency to procrastinate, I am also dangerously prone to blowing things out of proportion. Indeed, for the past few days I've been so stressed - not because of all the things I have to do, but because of the way I saw the things I had to do.

I miss blogging. This is my first blog post in two weeks; the paper and blogthings don't count. When writing, I restore my mindset to one more grounded in reality.

Stupid me. I have done so much. I had so much time. I have even more time. I can do so much more. Problems are only problems when you do not adapt to them. Properly dealt with, they become opportunities.

Procrastination and slacking-off only serve to exacerbate the stress when left to run wild. Multi-slacking can become a part of multi-tasking with proper control. I can still beat the Brotherhood of Nod or the Nazis into submission AFTER I finish my assignments. I can relax in front of the television AFTER finishing my work for the day.

I can do many more things, things I WANT to do, with proper time management.

I can deal with any problems that come my way, those little itsy-bitsy things, by not blowing them out of proportion.

Of course, there are those things which have to be dealt with in a more direct and forceful manner.

There. Back in the groove. While writing this post, I've also finished three-fourths of my synthesis paper. Now THAT is multi-tasking. I have regained the initiative. I will not let it slip away again.

I have to go now. I have to cover the Gawad Plaridel awarding ceremony later. I love my life.

Oh, by the way, my Journalism 101 grade was FINALLY released. That 1.5 puts my GWA for last semester at 1.58. I REALLY love my life!

one of those days

***My first paper for my feature writing class.

It was one of those days. No one knew what was happening. Roads were blocked off. Students waited outside for news about their classes.

No, there was no typhoon on that day. No earthquake, no volcanic eruption, no People Power revolt either. It was June 18, 2008 - the University of the Philippines’ Foundation Day.

A traffic jam greeted me on my way to school on that day. Cars, jeepneys, and trucks filled the one road from Katipunan to the College of Mass Communication. Apparently, the Academic Oval had been closed off. Obviously, no one knew of it until they came into the campus.

No one I talked to on that day knew exactly what was happening. No one knew if classes would be suspended. There were only bits and pieces of information about the events for that day. Rumors of an “Oblation Run” were spreading. It was chaotic.

I knew something big was up. I knew it was UP’s Foundation Day. I just didn’t know what was supposed to happen then. My one class for the day went by like a breeze. Half the class was not there and we all wanted to see if there would really be an “Oblation Run”. Our professor cut the class short at 11 AM.

I was lucky. A friend told me that they were giving away free food at Vinzons Hall. I walked all the way down an eerily quiet and empty Academic Oval towards the Sunken Garden. That was when I saw all the people clustered around Vinzons Hall. Suspension or no suspension, people were there to see something.

As I came closer, a speaker was screaming something about “flying birds”. The crowd roared. I knew then and there that the rumors were true. I met my friends at the entrance to Vinzons Hall. There were a lot of reporters and cameras there, too.

My timing could not be better. I was there on the front row, right there in front when a hundred men came running down the stairs. They wore golden masks and… nothing else. Some held banners and streamers filled with messages of protest.

People started to scream. My friend from Library Science was busy taking pictures. My friend from Engineering stood still; her eyes as wide as plates, her jaw almost hitting the floor. I was laughing my heart out. One of the naked men handed a rose to the girl next to me as he kissed her.

It was the infamous “Oblation Run”, now dubbed by the organizers as the “Centennial Run”. Normally done every December, the Alpha Phi Omega (APO) Fraternity decided to send one hundred of its members streaking through the Diliman campus on the day marking UP’s 100th year.

The excitement subsided in Vinzons Hall as the streakers ran towards Palma Hall. As the screaming and squealing died down, I found some time to think.

That was all?

For a very, very important day in its history, all the University of the Philippines could do was to send one hundred naked men running in the streets? Oops. Scratch that. It was the APO Fraternity that sent the men onto the streets.

A quick look at the UP website shows that there were activities planned for the day. There was a flag-raising ceremony at Quezon Hall and a parade in the morning. A human chain around the Academic Oval was rumored to have been planned but I did not see it in the schedule. At least that explains why the Academic Oval was closed in the morning.

The new officers of the University Student Council were inducted in front of the famous Oblation statue. A commemorative stamp was launched. The event at Vinzons Hall was supposed to be just an open-air concert; the APO streakers turned it into something more.

I only learned of the events above through the website. I heard snippets from people I talked to, though. A professor told us about the launching of the Commemorative Centennial Stamps just the day before. A friend told me about that human chain. Another friend in the University Student Council told me about the Vinzons UPgrade event. If no one told me about these events, I would not have known about them.

Bottom line: there was no systematic information dissemination campaign by the UP Administration.

Only the calendar in the UP website showed what events were to happen where and when. There were no posters around the campus. No one went door to door to tell us what was supposed to happen. And yes, I am a bit irked at the fact that no one thought of calling off classes for the day so that the students –UP students- could come and join in the celebration.

Instead of calling students to join in the festivities, the administration saw fit to leave us wandering the halls of our colleges while wondering if our professors would show up for class.

Even the other events of the week were poorly advertised. I would not have known about, much less attended, the “Parangal Sentenyal” last June 16 if my Communication 130 professor did not require our class to go there. I was also lucky then, for I saw many of the people who had shaped the history of UP. I also saw many of the brilliant scientists and artists who were products of UP.

The concerts at the Cultural Center of the Philippines, “Pamantasang Hirang”, from June 18 to 20 did get a lot of attention. However, someone neglected to spread information about tickets and transportation to the CCP. I only found out about the need for tickets and the free rides from UP to CCP on the first day of the concert. Needless to say, I did not get to watch the presentations.

Some of my friends did manage to go to CCP to watch “Pamantasang Hirang”. The bad news, however, was that they found the concert somewhat lacking. They told me over lunch that the different presentations were too individualistic. There was no common theme, no “UP as a whole” or “where UP is now”. Unfortunately, I cannot comment further on that. I was not there.

I can comment on the UP Centennial Celebration as a whole, though. It could have been more. The organizers, the UP administration, could have done more. Way more. They could have at least spared the effort to invite us students to the events. They could have at least mounted a more effective information campaign. They could have turned the week of the Centennial into something like the annual UP Fair.

They could have turned June 18, 2008, the 100th anniversary of the University of the Philippines’ foundation, into more than just one of those (other) days.

stormy sunday

A typhoon is now battering Metro Manila. The rain has been pouring non-stop since I woke up. I can hear the wind howling outside.

I love it when the weather matches my mood. Lightning and thunder would make it perfect.

How I wish that we still had ANC. Damned cost-cutting measures. I could be watching those infernal billboards falling into the streets. Hahaha.

I hate billboards, especially those huge ones right beside the highways. They spoil the view. They distract the driver. They are one hell of a hazard come typhoon season.

I sincerely hope that some -if not all- of those eyesores are blown down. Hahaha.

power overwhelming

It's official; I'm now the Over-all Coordinator of the UP Astronomical Society. My fellow officers and I were inducted just last night at the PAGASA Observatory.

Despite all efforts to the contrary, we started late. Because of this, we decided to skip giving our speeches and instead go right to dinner after the oath-taking.

The following was supposed to be my speech last night.

It's a great honor and privilege to be able to lead this organization. I'll be working with a dynamic and vibrant group of people. I have brilliant and effective officers at my side. I am looking forward to a great year.

Yes, the past two weeks may have been hectic. We've had problems even before we were sworn in. I hope that the issues have been settled and that nothing more of the sort comes up again. But look at the bright side: at least these problems have surfaced and have been dealt with before any major event has started.

I am expecting a lot of headaches this year. Money, people, events, et cetera. These are standard fare for any officer of any organization, and I have to get used to them as early as now.

I am also expecting a lot of exciting and enjoyable moments. With the International Year of Astronomy fast approaching the organization will be a beehive of activity. We have a lot planned for this and the next semester, and I hope that everyone works together to see those plans to fruition.

Thank you for your confidence and your support. Kain na tayo!

day one

It's already like some sort of weird tradition. I always wear the same black and white checkered polo on the first day of classes. To think that I got that polo when I was still in high school.

It's now my second year as a Journalism student. It's also my sixth year in UP. I always tell people that I'm in my third year - third year STANDING that is. I still have this and the next year to go before I finally graduate. Seven years of college. Wow.

Only 15 units this semester. A junior Journalism student should have 21 units at this time. The problem, if you could call it that, is that I have already exhausted my general education subjects and electives. All the subjects I can take now are majors. 15 units: way more "me time" for me.

More "me time". Yes. I actually plan on taking a tutorial job this year. 150 pesos per hour, three hours a day, three days a week. $$$$! CHA-CHING!!! $$$$!

Or I can opt to devote that time to studying. Last semester saw the highest grades I ever got in UP. I'm only waiting for the release of my Journalism 101 grade before I give out numbers. Estimates, however, range from a flat 1.5 to a little over 1.6. Minsan na nga lang ako magyabang e. Pagbigyan niyo na ako! Hehehehe. I intend to maintain -even surpass- that grade this semester.

I can also devote more time to a new organization. I'm planning on applying for membership with the Journalism Club because I want to try a course-related org. Or I could try once more for the UP Debate Society since I also want to become a better debater. I could also spend more time with UP AstroSoc; I am the incoming Over-all Coordinator, as you probably know by now.

I have a lot of options to choose from. Hmmm... I could become financially independent. I could attain cum laude standing. I could have a very active social life.

Decisions, decisions, decisions...

I think I'll sleep now.

a rock and a hard place

My jaw has been hurting for a week now. Half my mouth is close to useless as every bite hurts like hell. My teeth -yes, teeth- burn with pain, especially while I'm eating.

I went to our neighborhood dentist for a check-up. I don't have a problem with tooth decay, although some of my teeth are in need of a little fixing. No cavities in the problem area too. So what's the problem?

Wisdom teeth.

The little buggers are pushing hard against all my other teeth, causing me a lot of pain and grief.

The dentist gave me two options: one, I have the wisdom teeth removed through surgery, or two, I let them be and just keep taking pain medications.

Surgery costs about 5000 pesos, and I have to sit through it while I'm wide awake. At least after having my gums cut open I get to eat normally again. After a few days of excruciating pain, that is.

Not doing anything save for taking mefenamic acid now and then seems a more attractive option, as it precludes having a scalpel anywhere near my mouth. However, I risk getting liver problems from all the drugs, not to mention further exacerbating the problem with my teeth.

I love my life.

first of june

Summer vacation is ending. No more long hours of doing nothing, no more bumming around. No more sleepless nights - those brought about solely by insomnia, that is.

I'll have to get used to a new schedule, albeit one so light as to be described as being that of a freshie student. No more easy general education subjects though; I'll be taking majors this sem.

It's a whole new ball game folks. This will be my first complete year as a Journalism student. About the only bad news is that my graduation would most likely be postponed to 2010.

My term as UP AstroSoc's Over-all Coordinator is also set to begin this month. Yes, I am but a few days away from assuming power and declaring martial law taking my place as a leader of the organization. Hahahahaha.

Once more into the breach, good friends.

i'm going to the 4th level of hell hahahaha :D

Got this from Lyra... hehehehe :D
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Dante's Inferno Test has banished you to the Fourth Level of Hell!
Here is how you matched up against all the levels:

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

Take the Dante's Inferno Hell Test

sleepless in marikina

We just finished a very long overnight sem planning session. I'm sleepy. Very sleepy. My eyes are getting heavier by the minute.

Comm 140 class was canceled. Argh. Back to 15 units, assuming I get Comm 130 and Journ 102. Crap. I need those classes badly.

I'll probably be back on my feet after a long night's sleep. A very long night's sleep. Will be gone jogging on Thursday. Looking forward to a free lunch. Hehehehehe.

It's cold. Very nice. I'll go to bed now.

crusader charge

Yes, I still cannot sleep. Breakfast was more than satisfactory, but I think I'll be taking lunch on time too.

This insomnia will be the death of me. Hahahaha. I need some milk over here, preverably with Hershey's chocolate syrup on the side. In the past that has been one surefire way of getting me to sleep.

I love my life. Today my parents had our subscription to Sky Cable cut. On the plus side that means no more annoying Sky Cable ads cutting in when the schedule of the program I want to watch next is on screen. The bad news though is no more ANC, no more National Geographic, no more Star World, no more Star Movies, and no more Cinemax.

Argh. I'll be losing my favorite news and public affairs programs, I Didn't Know That, My Wife and Kids, reruns of Star Wars, and Season 4 of Battlestar Galactica in one fell swoop.

We're switching to Destiny Cable, whose lineup is half composed of foreign language channels which I will never watch but is way cheaper than Sky, which is how my parents justify the switch. Yes. We must cut back, thanks to rising prices.

We must cut back on everything else, except of course my mom's cigarette addiction. I wonder how much money we could save once that little problem is taken care of once and for all...

Good thing I still have the computer. I installed Call of Duty 2 a few days ago. Yes, I have all three Call of Duty games for the PC. At least this addiction does not pollute the environment. I'm well on my way to completing the game, which is a bit longer than COD 4 but also less graphic.

Every game in the series has one or two missions which really get my adrenaline running (and subsequently end up being played over and over and over again). In the original Call of Duty it was the "Stalingrad" and "Red Square" missions. In the expansion it was the one which put the player as the gunner in a B-17 bomber. In Modern Warfare it was the "Shock and Awe" and "Sins of the Father" missions.

In COD 2 it's the "Crusader Charge" mission. This one has the player as the commander of a British Crusader tank during the North Africa campaign. The objective is a ridge controlled by German tanks. The problem is that the German Panzers outrange and outgun the British tanks. The challenge is that you have to race across open ground under murderous fire from the Germans. Whew.

I love this game.

hunger pangs

It turns out that it wasn't the coffee that was keeping me awake, it was my stomach. Apparently, one side effect of my sleeping at odd hours is a confused digestive system. It could probably be described as being like jet lag, although without the prerequisite flight to a distant continent.

Argh. I want to sleep already! Even now our rice cooker is percolating. I had some corned beef bought from the nearby grocery. My tummy is making weird rumbling noises, already anticipating the imminent arrival of breakfast.

And I can smell it already. Mmmm... Fried eggs to go with corned beef and onions. Freshly steamed rice. Orange juice. God, I love breakfast!

I'll skip the coffee. After I eat I want to sleep. Of course, I'll also be skipping lunch in the process, but I do have to go to dreamland sometime.

Right. The table is set. I'm hungry, really hungry. So hungry that I'll probably polish off every plate at the table later on. No leftovers. No survivors.

No mercy. Hahahaha!

insomnia

This is getting worse. I'm still wide awake at four in the morning. Hahahaha. I woke up at 5 PM yesterday with an aching back and sore muscles.

I had a blast at Wednesday's sportsfest. My first serious game of basketball in a very long time went better than expected, and I found out that I can still play badminton. Hehehehe.

I'm obviously not the sporty type. I'm more comfortable with reading books and playing computer games. The only physical activity I do regularly is walking, and that from my bed to the computer.

We're planning to go jogging on Monday. And, assuming that the weather cooperates, I also plan to play a little Frisbee. Yup, I want to get out of the house and run around once again.

But while waiting for Monday, I'm stuck here in front of the computer at 4 AM. Hahahaha. This insomnia will be the death of me. I think I need sleeping pills to get back to my normal schedule. Of course the coffee I drank earlier did nothing to help matters.

School is around the corner. I need to get rid of my insomnia as soon as possible.

hail, caesar! yes, i'm still awake

Hahahaha. I woke up at three o'clock in the afternoon yesterday. I love my life. Too bad all of this is going to end soon. However, I'm going to enjoy every single minute of it while it lasts.

Who knows how much sleep I'm going to get come next month?

Might as well exploit the cool air, overcast sky, and soft beds while I can. The downside, of course, is that I now live irregular hours. I actually missed lunch today, as I only became lucid enough to eat come dinner time. Dinner, however, was composed of two fried chicken breasts, a steaming bowl of rice, another bowl of mashed potatoes, and all the gravy I could drink- er, have.

Yum yum. My application to the UP Gastronomical Society is in the bag. Hahahaha.

Again, I'm still wide awake in the wee hours of the morning. I did not touch a single paper in my room today though; I'll finish that little chore tomorrow. For now, I'll relax.

I spent much of the day researching for our Applicant's Module. After that I started to experiment with Microsoft's World Wide Telescope program. The WWT is like Google Earth for the sky, as it allows you to see the heavens as never before. It blends nearly all the astronomical information available on the Internet (or so Microsoft says) and brings it to your fingertips. Now, if only I could sort through all that data in front of me...

The past few hours I spent watching videos on YouTube, where I stumbled upon a series called Decisive Battles. I'm a bit of a history buff, and I really enjoy learning about wars and battles of the past, so much so that most of my favorite movies and games all deal with fighting and war.

I especially love the ancient era (maybe I should interview Ron about this) where Roman legions, Greek phalanxes, and Persian "Immortals" had their way. Battles then were not decided by who had the most powerful gun or the most accurate bomb, they were decided by the skill of the men in command and the strength and determination of the men on the ground.

Generals then were at the battles, not in some war room hunched over maps. Some even led their soldiers from the front, actually heading a charge into the enemy. The soldiers were armored with steel and armed with swords and spears. Cavalry charged with lances and archers fired arrows into the sky. That's the kind of "hack and slash" I want to see; not the stylized ballet of two martial artists, but the brutal hand to hand combat of two armies having at each other.

I find it all fascinating. Don't worry, I do not enjoy the blood and the hardship inherent in war. I am no some bloodthirsty, brutal, sadistic fool, mind you. What I find fascinating about all this are the strategies and tactics employed in the battles. That is why I spent the past few hours watching computer-animated (from Rome: Total War, actually) depictions of important battles in the past.

Some you probably know, like Thermopylae and Gaugamela, thanks mostly to Hollywood. Some you most likely don't know, like Pharsalus, Cynoscephalae, and Carrhae. All of these battles were turning points, moments in history where the fates of empires were decided. All of these battles were, in large part, decided by the cunning moves of the victor and the men he commanded.

That is something I want to emulate. I want to be able to change the course of history, to make my mark on it someday. Hahaha. A tall order, I know.

As a future reporter, I'll be where history is made. I'll be there when it happens, where it happens. However, I still plan on making it happen.

Hahahaha. It's four in the morning. I'm hungry. I think I'll go raid the fridge now.

getting down to business

At 12 midnight. Hahahahaha.

My biological clock is seriously screwed up. I wake up at a little after lunch nowadays. I stay in a zombie-like state for the next two hours. I only eat lunch at 3 or 4 in the afternoon.

Lunch usually takes me to dinner time. I am an extremely slow eater, as some of you may have already noticed. A meal, for me, must not be rushed; every bite must be enjoyed. It gets even worse at home, as I cannot eat without a book in my hands.

Hahahaha. Go figure.

So dinner for me ends sometime after 10. As a result, I am very wide awake come midnight. While everyone is asleep I play computer games or read. It was only yesterday that I decided to do something more productive.

At the end of every semester I clean my room. Yes, I do clean my room from time to time. With the summer coming to an end (and with the temperature going down) I finally got around to clearing all the stuff cluttering my bedroom.

I had no idea that I was such a pack rat. My cabinets are filled with all kinds of papers; old books, new books, readings, notebooks, newspapers, and test papers cram into every inch. There is such a thing as compulsive hoarding, and I fear that I am one step away from it.

I find it very hard to throw away my old things - I even keep pieces of scratch paper full of random doodles. I keep telling myself that "I'll need these someday". Yep, I sure will need that sheet of yellow pad with hieroglyphics- er, derivatives, on it in the near future.

The problem with this is that I now have a massive pile of flammable stuff in my room right now, not to mention a veritable feast for all the cockroaches and rats in the neighborhood.

So what am I going to do about it?

Thanks for the memories, but it's about time for a purge. Hahahahahaha.

I will throw out everything older than a year, save for term papers and such. My old readings, outdated books and newspapers, and my "collection" of fliers will be earmarked for recycling, just as soon as I find a recycling station.

By the end of the week I'll have my room cleaned and cleared.

it's that time once again

After long weeks of scorching heat, the rains have come back.

I love the cool air. I love the afternoon thunderstorms. I love the rain.

I hate CRS. If there's one thing I hate about UP life, it's registration. And here we go again.

Online pre-enlistment is supposed to make life easier. It should, if only the guys running it get faster or more powerful servers to handle the load of thousands of users logging on to get their classes.

The website takes an eternity to load, and that usually takes a dozen reloads to do.

The good news is that I now have a curriculum to follow once again. Granted, I am constrained by pre-requisite subjects, but my life is finally on track.

No more general education subjects or free electives for me though. I'll be spending the rest of my days as a Journ major at Plaridel Hall.

I took the "shotgun approach" in enlisting my subjects - I pre-enlisted in every class available for every subject I wanted, in the hope that CRS gives me at least one after processing. Hahaha.

I'll most likely take only 15 units next semester, given the constraints of the pre-reqs. That's more "me" time for me. Again.

Hehehehe.

be careful what you wish for

Yes. As the saying goes, be careful what you wish for, lest you get it. And boy, did I get it.

I was standing near the LRT station at Katipunan yesterday evening, waiting for a ride home. As luck would have it, all the jeepneys passing by were going to other places while those that were on my route home were packed full with passengers.

It was already late, and I wanted to get home before midnight. I was already anticipating a hot meal of sinigang na baboy even though I had just come from dinner with my orgmates at Mang Jimmy's.

While vehicles of every size and shape zoomed past me, I kept myself busy by going over various ideas in my head. I was deep in thought, contemplating something which I cannot quite remember right now, when it happened.

I was watching the cars go by when everything suddenly turned bluish-white. A loud buzzing sound filled the air as I turned my head towards the source of the light. My face went hot as I instinctively dove for the ground once I realized what was happening.

The power lines just a few meters above me had exploded. Sparks started to fall around me as I ran away from the explosion. Across the road, another power line also blew, and the entire area was suddenly awash in blue light. It only lasted a split second though; half of Katipunan Avenue soon went dark.

The good thing was that I did not panic. I did not go running around screaming my head off. A few seconds after the blast I was just standing there as if nothing had happened, trying to analyze the situation, trying to find a cause for the sudden explosion.

One of the things that came to my mind was that I finally got something that I wanted. Call me crazy, but I have always wanted to see an actual explosion. Fireworks at New Year don't count; I wanted an explosion - a big blast complete with a fireball and debris flying around. Well, I finally got what I wished for. Of course I did not mean for it to happen just a few meters from my head, but there you are.

Oh, and sorry again folks. I'm still alive and kicking. Hahahaha.

one of those days

I lost my last stylus for my XDA2 yesterday afternoon while running around at the Sunken Garden.

It's no big deal, really, just damned inconvenient and annoying. I now have to use my fingernails to send text messages. I now have to resort to toothpicks in case the device needs a reset. Argh. I need a new stylus.

Of course, that in itself is nothing. But when misfortune strikes in succession, that's something.

The heat finally got to me. Yesterday afternoon was one of the hottest, and I was lucky enough to be outside as the sun beat down through the cloudless sky. I felt bad once I got to UP, and now I believe I have a fever. Crap.

I broke the zipper on my coin purse. It was one of those stupid accidents. I was trying to fix the zipper. However, I ended up breaking it. For good.

At Kenny Rogers yesterday evening I ordered the cheapest meal available. I wanted some mashed potatoes with my meal. They were out of stock. Fine. I explicitly asked for a chicken breast. Why that part, you ask?

Economics. Hahahaha. It gives the highest return on investment.

The chicken breast is the softest, most tender part of the chicken. It has the most meat, and is also the easiest to eat; one only has to scoop out the white meat instead of having to go between bones. At home, I don't have to fight for the part of the chicken that I want; my family willingly leaves the white meat for me. While they have to share the thighs, the wings, and the legs between them, I have the chicken breasts all to myself.

Back to the story. I also ordered a large Coke. However, the waiter gave me a large glass of iced tea which was not even cold. When they finally got around to serving our meals everyone EXCEPT ME got a chicken breast. EVERYONE BUT ME. I got stuck with a drumstick. A little, itsy-bitsy drumstick. It was really frustrating.

I just checked the CRS, and my Journalism 101 grade has not yet been posted. I have been waiting for a week already. All my other grades are there already, and the deadline for the submission of grades has already passed.

I want to know if I got another "1". Hahahaha. Grade conscious? Yes. I AM.

Somebody please give me a hot Venti White Chocolate Mocha. I haven't had one of those in a very, very long time.