The early bird doesn't necessarily catches the 1st worm!

The time was 6.10pm, and it's almost 2 hours into an exam that is scheduled from 4.15-7.15pm. There are only 3 problems all in all in the exam, and I have finished trying to answer them. Note that the operative word is "trying", haha! Seated at one of the back rows of the auditorium, I was looking at my younger classmates and wondered, "Bakit ako kaninang 5.30pm pa tapos, bakit sila, sagot pa rin nang sagot?!"

Anyway, it's not like I'm trying to brag here or what. I mean come on! It's my 3RD to take this subject (EEE 53), it's my freaking 3RD time to take this exam! Harhar! So I guess, it's just natural and logical that I finish way ahead of my classmates who are mainly composed of engineer-wannabes from up to 2 batches younger than me, hehe.

Anyway, kidding aside, I'm really amazed at how I always finish my exams considerably ahead of the time. Of course, it does not always follow that I am ABLE to answer the exam questions, hehe. It's usually 1 of 2 cases:

Case 1: No matter how hard I try to extract the intellectual juices in my brain, I can't seem to know how to solve the problems. So what's the point of staying around when I can use the free time to mourn my exam and indulge myself in anti-depressant activities, right? Haha! Dumarating talaga yung oras na kailangan na talagang isuko ang laban.

Case 2: I am able to answer a considerable part of the exam, which means I'm going to pass it for sure. But it really feels weird whenever I feel like the exam is relatively easy or manageable, (so naturally, I would finish early), and yet my more intelligent classmates are still working their fingers and pens out, scribbling their answers on their respective papers.
Nakaka-ligalig talaga kapag feeling ko na parang ako lang yata ang nadalian, haha!

By the way, more often than not, in Engineering, it's case 1 for me! Haha!

Despite finishing early most of the time, I don't always submit my papers as soon as I'm through. I don't want to be the first to stand up and submit his papers. Iba kasi yung dating kapag may tumayo na at nag-submit diba? Kung hindi ka pa tapos, mapapaisip ka, "Tapos na siya! Bakit ako hindi pa?!" Anyway, when you're the first to submit your papers, either wala ka nang masagot or magaling ka at kaagad ka lang talaga natapos. I don't want to give my classmates an opportunity to judge me, hehe, so I always wait for someone else. Kaya ayun, madalas, ako yung 2nd na nagpapass. Haha!

So what do I do to kill time while waiting for the 1st brave soul to submit his papers? Nagrarandom ako sa calculator kung papasa ako or hindi. Unfortunately, I don't keep a record on how many times my calculator accurately predicts the outcome, hehe. Sayang! =p

Buddy Tree

Last Thursday, Aguman had its Buddy Bidding for its application process for this sem. As part of the Memcomm, I took charge of the event. I wanted to put a sort of twist to it, so I thought I would prepare a powerpoint presentation of the buddy trees in our org. You see, as buddy-mems, we call our buddy-apps as our 'children', considering that we are the one who take care of them during their app process and make sure they become responsible members eventually.

And in my 5 years in the organization, here's my buddy tree.


As the tree shows, lagi akong nagba-buddy every year, hehe. Ako pa naman, kina-career ko talaga ang pagba-buddy.I don't know why, but I just find fulfillment in helping someone out. More than the buddy write-up or the buddy gift I get to receive in the end, it just really feels good whenever I'm able to see my buddy-app through the hard Aguman application process until the end.

It's my last year sa org, and in what could be my last chance to experience the application process as a member, I decided to not have a buddy for a numbe of reasons. First, Memcomm ako eh, I'm supposed to be the surrogate buddy of all the apps. Second (and its actually the main reason, hehe), I feel like I've done my part. I confidently feel that I've payed forward what my buddy-mem did for me when I was the applicant.

Anyway, what is this post for? Haha! Nothing important really. I just miss my own buddies. As you can see, 2 have already graduated (cum laude pa silang pareho). Nauna pa sila sa akin, haha! Sakto, dumalaw sa UP si Dawn kahapon.

Since I'm one of the older and most senior mems in the org right now, everyone calls me 'Kuya Rex'. Being a bunso in the family, I've always liked being called a 'kuya'. But in my Aguman family, the feeling is different whenever someone calls me 'buddy!'. It feels better, way, way better. And that's what I miss the most. =)

Life according to Meredith Grey 1

Some lines from ABC’s hospital drama series Grey’s Anatomy. Gusto ko lang i-share, like in Desperate Housewives, you might pick up a thing or two. =p The character who delivers these lines is Meredith Grey. She is a surgical intern, so the context of the following lines might that be for surgeons.

"It’s all about lines. The finish line at the end of residency, waiting in line for a chance at the operating table. And then there’s the most important line – the line that is separating you from the people you work with. It doesn’t help to get too familiar.

To make friends, you need boundaries between you and the rest of the world. Other people are far too messy. It’s all about lines. Drawing lines in the sand and praying like hell no one crosses them.
At some point, you have to make a decision. Boundaries, don’t keep people out. They fence you in. Life is messy, that’s how we’re made. So you can waste your life drawing lines or you can live your life crossing them.
But there are certain lines that are way too dangerous to cross. Here is what I know, if you’re willing to take the chance, the view from the other side is spectacular."

"Intimacy is a four-syllable word for “here are my heart and soul, please grind them into hamburger and enjoy.” It’s both desired and feared. Difficult to live with and impossible to live without.
I wish there was a rule book for intimacy. Some kind of a guy that could tell you when you’ve crossed the line. It would be nice if you could see it coming. You take it where you can get it and keep it as long as you can.
And as for rules, maybe there are none. Maybe the rules of intimacy are something you have to define for yourself."

"Remember when you were a kid and your biggest worry was like if you get a bike for your birthday or if you get to eat cookies for breakfast? Being an adult – totally overrated. I mean seriously, don’t be fooled by all the hot shoes, the great sex and the no parents anywhere telling you what to do. Adulthood is responsibility. Responsibility – it really does sucks, really, really sucks.

Responsibility doesn’t go away. It can't be avoided. Either someone makes us face it, or we suffer the consequences. And still, adulthood has its perks. The shoes, the sex and the no parents anywhere telling you what to do – that’s pretty damn good."

Teardrop moment

For the second Saturday, I'm at my organizations College Entrance Exam Review for Kapampangan 4th year high school students. Anyway, me and some of my orgmates were seated on a table and we were having fun making fun at one orgmate's past lovelives. As always when it comes to these things, I was the driver of the conversation because I'm supposed to have this 'power' to make people tell, haha! Then, I received an overseas text from my Mama.

(Translated version from Kapampangan)
Are you home? Musta school? Natuloy na ba yung test mo? How is it? Eto, kararating lang namin ni Papa from Hawar. Nadatnan namin sa doorstep yung letter (I mailed my blog for him for Father's Day last month, haha! Di kasi marunong mag-internet si Papa eh! Haha!) mo for Papa. Ako nagbukas tapos binigay ko sa kanya. Pagkatapos niya itong binasa, sumandal siya at tumingala. Nakita kong namumula ang mga mata niya. Siguro, nasundot siya sa puso. He later told me to text you (nga pala, hindi rin siya marunong magtext! Haha! Haay, I so love my Papa, hehe) to thank you for your makabagbag-pusong blog. Tapos binasa ko rin siya, at na-touch din ako. Alam mo naman ako..

Wala lang. One moment, tawa ako nang tawa, tapos nung mabasa ko yung text, naalala ko ang aking ama at ako'y napa-watery eyes, haha! Hmm, maitext nga siya, mag-rerequest ako ng bagong cellphone, habang fresh pa ang kanyang pagka-touched, haha! =p

The S-word

I'm sure that when someone says the F-word, you know which word that person was referring to. It's widely accepted to be a very vulgar word, especially not suitable for children, right? So we just retain the first letter and scratch everything else whenever we have to mention it.

We are not supposed to use these words, but we always utter them anyway. F*ck.. sh*t.. bullsh*t.. p*ta.. g*go. Haha! I for one sometimes use the word sh*t or d*mn just for expression. It's not like I would shout at somebody who pissed me, "G*go ka!" I find it amusingly ironic that we don't always use the words / phrases that we are supposed to say all the time. I love you.. thanks.. I miss you.. sorry. In fact, it's so easy to say the vulgar words but it always takes so much for us to say the well-meaning ones. Think about it -- you can easily curse your anger away, but you can't even tell a loved one how much they mean to you without summoning enough courage to get over the awkwardness and mushiness of the situation.

Just recently, someone who used to be a good friend said the sorry to me. And damn! It feels so good and vindicating! Haha! It's amazing how one word could affect your whole day on a positively weird manner. You see, I didn't expect it at all. After waiting for months on end for it, I have accepted that it will never come. After the hearing the s-word, I entered into a state of shock. I was trying to grasp the gravity of what just happened.

As Blue and Elton John used to sing, sorry seems to be the hardest word. And I so agree. It takes so much humility, pride, courage, maturity and strong sense of what is right to be able to say sorry to someone you've offended big time. And for what happened, I now have a renewed respect for this old friend of mine. His apology was actually so late that I actually felt there was no need anymore -- I have decided to put the issue behind me long ago. I'm actually wondering and suspicious of the timing, haha! I mean come on! Kahit kayo naman magtataka diba, bakit ngayon lang? What made him do it all this time!

Whatever his reasons are, I'm glad nevertheless that he finally found his balls to do it. I knew it, some boys will grow into men eventually.

Blogs Galore! 9

SIR REX
Since grade school, I have been often teased for having a name that is one syllable short of sharing a name with one of the most famous sex writer in the Philippines. "Sir Rex! Sir Rex", my pervert classmates would call me. Yep, they were perverts for me, haha! Come on! How could a grade school student be familiar with a famous sex writer if you weren't, right? Well, our Araling Panlipunan teacher are partially to be blamed, haha! They were the ones who required us to bring Filipino newspapers to school. But at that time, there was no decent newspaper printed in Filipino. Abante and Bulgar were the usual suspects. Xerex was on Abante and the author of Totoy Mola was (wait, should I use the past tense? Baka kasi up to now ay hindi pa tapos ang story. I happened to read its 1st four 'episodes' because of this news reading exercise we had for AP, haha!) Bulgar.

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CAREER PATH TESTS
If you were the unsure type back in 4th year high school, you must be very familiar with personality or career tests. You know, they're the tests you take in order to help you decide on what career you'll choose to pursue in college. Well, good thing Ms Tua, our high school guidance counselor was very helpful. She annually held series of career talks for us seniors. She also made us take a number personality tests. Back in HS senior year, it was a time when I was just starting to surf the internet, so I was obviously so amazed of these online personality tests. Even though I was so sure that Computer Engineering / Information Technology was what I wanted to take, I was curious so I took a test that would tell me what career path I should take.
The result? It said that I should either be a social worker or a college professor! Bwahaha! I just laughed the results of, haha! There was no way I would rethink my college application forms. =p

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PINOY TOP BLOGGER
So what's up with all this crap about me being a 'teacher'? Well, don't get me wrong, I have absolute respect for teachers. It's just that I couldn't imagine myself being a teacher. Back in high school, I didn't have the homey, humble and approachable aura that I believe teachers should have.
I did sign up for Cathecism at school, though. But the only reason I signed up was because all the honor students (actually, pati yung mga epal lang talaga, hehe) were also signing up. I didn't want to be left out on the extra-co-curricular grade (yeah, I must admit, I was that grade-conscious back then, =p). I did enjoy the sessions with the public elementary students. There were some naughty ones, but the cute, eager and enthusiastic ones more than make up for them.
Last Saturday, I was the English Instructor / Reviewer at our org's College Entrance Exam Review (CEER). Imagine, I received the same certificate and ate the same free lunch with the other instructors / reviewers who had various awards and experiences on their belts! The credentials they announced when they introduced me sure wasn't at par with the others, haha! =P

*Senior Computer Engineering student
*President, UP Aguman, AY 2003-2004
*EIC, Aslag, AY 2002-2003 to AY 2004-2005
*One of the Top 150 Filipino bloggers in the world

The 'awww' from the 4th year kids came after the 4th piece of information, haha! Anyabang ko eh no? You must be thinking, "instructor nga, delayed naman!" haha!
I'm currently #145 on Pinoy Top Blogs and #72 on Pinoy Top 100, that's why I was able to proclaim that I'm "one of the Top 150 Filipino bloggers in the world". Kayo naman, pagbigyan niyo na ako. =p
I actually enjoyed it! I liked the feeling when kids look at you, listen to what you have to say, wanting to learn. Now I know where the 'college professor' bit back in high school came from. =p

Friendly, intelligent, knowledgeable, sensible, organized and trustworthy..

In short, I'm a guy who'll always be stuck in the friends zone, haha!

Arena (known to self and others) helpful, reflective, sentimental, trustworthy, wise, witty

Blind Spot (known only to others) able, accepting, adaptable, bold, caring, cheerful, clever, complex, confident, dependable, dignified, extroverted, friendly, giving, happy, idealistic, independent, ingenious, intelligent, kind, knowledgeable, logical, loving, mature, modest, observant, organised, powerful, proud, religious, responsive, searching, self-assertive, self-conscious, sensible, silly, spontaneous, warm

Façade (known only to self)

Unknown (known to nobody) brave, calm, energetic, introverted, nervous, patient, quiet, relaxed, shy, sympathetic, tense

All Percentages

able (3%) accepting (3%) adaptable (10%) bold (17%) brave (0%) calm (0%) caring (6%) cheerful (17%) clever (20%) complex (6%) confident (10%) dependable (27%) dignified (13%) energetic (0%) extroverted (3%) friendly (44%) giving (3%) happy (10%) helpful (10%) idealistic (3%) independent (10%) ingenious (6%) intelligent (34%) introverted (0%) kind (3%) knowledgeable (34%) logical (6%) loving (3%) mature (6%) modest (3%) nervous (0%) observant (13%) organised (31%) patient (0%) powerful (6%) proud (3%) quiet (0%) reflective (3%) relaxed (0%) religious (3%) responsive (13%) searching (3%) self-assertive (13%) self-conscious (6%) sensible (34%) sentimental (13%) shy (0%) silly (6%) spontaneous (13%) sympathetic (0%) tense (0%) trustworthy (31%) warm (3%) wise (24%) witty (13%)

Created by the Interactive Johari Window on 17.7.2006, using data from 29 respondents.

You can make your own Johari Window, or view VHREX's full data.

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It's been a month after I set up my Johari window. Actually, I first heard of this 4-window pscyhology concept back in Grade 6 through my religion teacher. And I've had friends who asked me to fill up their own windows. I thought it was cool but I never set up my own. I hated the way some would "force" you to fill up their windows even to the point of spamming the Friendster Bulletin Board about it. But again, I was required to make one for myself because of PBBFG3. Here's my attempt to psychoanalyze myself, haha!

Apparently, unlike the others, I don't have any dominant trait. My top traits are:
1. friendly (44%) - it always surprises me whenever people think I'm friendly. Well, I know that to a certain degree, I am indeed friendly enough, I just didn't think I was friendly enough to be described as friendly. Besides, I grew up always having impressions of being a snub.
2. intelligent (34%) - well, despite my failing grades, I am still intelligent, haha! =p I actually prefer to consider myself wise (24%).
3. knowledgeable (34%) - Encarta Dictionary says this means knowing a great deal: possessing or showing a great deal of knowledge, awareness, or intelligence. "Intelligent" is defined as mentally able: having intelligence, especially to a highly developed degree; sensible or rational: showing or resulting from an ability to think and understand things clearly and logically. I can't differentiate 'knowledgeable' and 'intelligent' myself. But I think it's safe to say that these 2 traits split some votes, hehe.
4. sensible (34%) - different, but fairly similar to intelligent and knowledgeable.
5. organised (31%) - I admit that I do have the tendency to be organized and I blame it on my very mild case of OC Disorder. But the thing is, I also have an equal tendency to be disorganized. And Mama would so agree -- especially when it comes to keeping my room in order, haha!
6. trustworthy (31%) - I'm most flattered by this, hehe. Because trust is something that cannot be solicited or forced. It must be gained.

I consider myself as helpful (10%) but I guess other people see it as being dependable (27%). Halos pareho lang to, diba? Funny how some people consider me as self-assertive (13%) and confident (10%). I checked who ticked these traits, they were the people closest to me -- they do know me well. I think that the Blind Spot window should have 2 panels -- 'other people' should be classified into 2: close friends and mere acquaintances. Hehe, wala lang. I just feel that people who've seen you through the good and bad times provide better insights on your traits.

Dark Age

The only reason I couldn't just end it all is because I don't want to get hurt any furthur.

I was asked to post about the 'loneliest point in my life' in an internet game I'm part of. I didn't have a hard time thinking of the loneliest point of my life. It was easy as it was just recently. But the thing is, I do have qualms about posting it for the whole internet world to see. But heck, I'm required to, so I'll post anyway.

The loneliest point in my life was when I passed just 11 units in a one whole school year -- 4 units from the 1st semester, 7 units from the 2nd semester. You see, it's not about the failing grade for in my 5 years in UP, I'm accustomed to 5.0s. But when these 5.0s came in droves, whoa! Well, I think you get the picture.

If it were just me, I can handle the pangs of my personal failure because I know what really happened. If there's one person who can understand me, it is me. What made me feel so bad was knowing I disappointed my parents. I can still remember the day when my Papa made an overseas call to ask me what happened. I obviously got an enormous amount of overseas sermon. I was quiet the whole call, I just let my father do all the talking because I know that I couldn't offer a valid excuse for my shortcomings.

So what exactly went wrong? Well, of course, I have to blame myself. Having an overload of problems is not a valid excuse. I allowed all the bad things that happened to happen. But what happened to me then? I don't want to reveal the details for fear of being on the receiving end of some people's wrath, hehe.

Let's just say that I had personal problems that hounded me even when I sleep. Apparently, these problems really affected me -- affected me bad enough to make me screw up on other aspects of my life. Anyway, things are way way better now, that's why I don't want to reveal the details, for it might jeopardize my peaceful and civil relations with these people. I worked on my personal problems first the whole summer (of 2006). Because I felt that in order for me to have a clear mind on what to do with my other problems, I had to get rid some toxic clutter in my mind and heart.

As for my acads, well, obviously, I was dismissed from the college. So I had to make an appeal. Worse, I need a new research laboratory where I can do my thesis. My Plan A was to seek the help of Professor A. Unfortunately, she already resigned from the Department so she couldn't help me. Plan B was to ask another professor - Professor B. Again, it didn't work because Professor B couldn't help me because according to him, he can't accommodate me. If I had to choose a loneliest day in the period of Dark Ages in my life, I would choose that day when I learned that I had to make an appeal without any assistance. I felt so bad that I couldn't think of Plan C. I was on bed for almost 20 hours. Plan C was to make an appeal anyway. I thought to myself, "Bahala na si Lord..." I even joked to my friends that if wasn't readmitted, I would enroll at AMACC so that I could have the PBBTE housemates as classmates, haha!

So there, the first half of 2006 were the darkest months of my life. =p It even came to a point when I wanted to die. Hehe, andrama no? The only reason I'm alive today is because I don't have enough courage to commit suicide. Because I knew that in my suicidal moments, I just have to let it all out and eventually, I'd come to my senses and realize how funny and stupid I was for ever thinking of suicide. But it sure didn't prevent me from wishing a comet would fall from the sky and hit me. Haha!

Anyway, a week after, Renaissance came. I was readmitted. Plus, I even had a new research lab! It's like my problems solved themselves one by one. (Thus this blog post).

You're probably thinking, "Ang exag naman nito! Parang bumagsak lang eh, may pa-suicide-suicide pang nalalaman!" My personal problems were nothing compared to the death of a loved one, right? After all, losing a beloved one is one of the most painful experiences you'll have. But then again, in my Dark Ages, I felt like I lost myself. As absurd as it sounds it was a time when I couldn't find a reason to live.

Do I look like the marrying type already?

As I walked home from school (my exam in ME 63 was cancelled due to suspension of classes),I noticed around 5 women with similar vests walking the streets, handing out flyers despite the rain. Obviously, this was another promo by the city goverment. I didn't care much about it because I was busy thinking how lucky I am my exam got cancelled and how I will spend my afternoon. Besides, I'm not a registered citizen of Quezon City anyway.

All of a sudden, one of the women handed me a flyer. The fact that she was walking on the opposite side of the street and she went out of her way to hand me the flyer proves that she really thought I might be interested on what the flyer offers, diba?

The flyer said:

Isang serbisyong pagmamahal handog ni
Congresswoman NANETTE CASTELO DAZA
17th FREE MASS CHURCH WEDDING

Mahal kong mamayan ng ika-apat na distrito:

Isang tunay na pagkalinga, pagmamahal at buong puso kong inihahandog para sa mamamayan ng ika-apat na distrito ang ika-17 na LIBRENG KASALANG BAYAN na gaganapin sa Sto Domingo Parish, Quezon Avenue, Quezon City sa darating na November 4, 2006...

Judging from the pictures on my flickr badge on my left side panel, do I look like someone who would be interested on mass church weddings?! Grabe naman, alam kong nagmukha akong matanda sa dami ng pimples ko ngayon, pero mukha na ba akong mag-aasawa? Haha! Besides, no offense to couples who avail of these, but aren't these mass church weddings for those who are not so financially capable of having a wedding of their own and for those unwed couples who've been living together for years? Mukha ba akong may ka-live-in at ayaw magpakasal kasi namamahalan ako sa pagpapakasal? Haha! Alam kong haggard-looking ako kanina dahil sa puyat, pero hindi naman ako dugyutin, noh! Ni wala nga akong gelpren eh!

If it were a FREE LOVERS service, I would've went straight to the Quezon City Hall, haha! At least diba, free na, wala nang ligawan pa, kami na agad! =p

Pasta #51

Yesterday was a milestone in my life. Haha! It’s because I cooked spaghetti sauce for my organization’s Acquaintance Party this evening.

So what’s the big fuss? After all, I am 21 years old. I'm supposed to be old enough to know how to cook. Plus, I'm a Kapampangan, I'm supposed to be good at cooking.

Ironically, I'm already 21 and I've just started learning how to decently cook rice. And even if my blood containes genes famous for its propensity to expert cooking, sometimes, I even burn my cheesedogs, haha!

It’s not the first time I’ll cook spaghetti for Aguman. I already did it at our swimming party last summer. But then, I cooked at home and with MUCH help from my sister. Sus, kung tutuusin nga, halus siya na nagluto, haha! But even if she obliged even the stirring chores, I observed fervently, hoping that the next time, I can do it myself. Well, the chance came today.

My orgmates were all praises for the spaghetti sauce I semi-cooked last May that they requested another serving for our Acquaintance Party. But this time is different, I would have to cook it myself, here at Quezon City.

So before I left home (Pampanga) yesterday, I asked my sister to list the ingredients and the procedure. I thought to myself, it should be no problem. All I have to do is follow the instructions by the letter. I will be fine. (Mind you this confident person I'm talking about is such an amateur that his cooking experience only include hotcakes, hotdogs, cheesedogs, nuggets, sunny-side-up fried eggs).

After my classes, I excitedly went to SM North EDSA to buy the ingredients. In my mind, I was elatedly thinking of what extra stuff I’d put in my spaghetti sauce in order to make it more special.

So what happened? Well, I followed the instructions by the letter. Ultimo asin, kinutsara ko pa talaga, para lang masigurado na 1 kutsara lang ang malagay ko, haha! Trouble was simmering (haha! literally!) when I noticed that my sauce is quite pale and it doesn’t seem to be thick enough. Good thing Porshe, an HRIM junior, was there to offer some insights for a solution, haha! Dinagdagan namin ng tomato sauce and we added cornstarch. Eventually, we were able to remedy the consistency of our sauce. We asked the other housemate to taste it and we got good initial reviews, haha!

Since it had a lot of personal ingredients, I'm not sure if I can still say that my sauce is Italian style, sweet style or garlic & onion in flavor. So, Porshe and I decided to name our sauce Pasta #51. Haha! After the house number of their apartment, where I cooked the sauce.

Fingers crossed until dinntertime today, when we will serve the spaghetti and let the whole Aguman and all other Kapampangans in UP Diliman try our humble masterpiece, haha!

Babalitaan ko kayo kung anong mangyayari. Sana naman, wala kaming isusugod sa hospital after, haha! =p

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UPDATE: Masarap daw yung Pasta #51 namin, hehe. Ansaya ko! Haha! Can I finally call myself a cook, since I've satisdied more than 30 people with my cooking? Hehe. Kakatuwa nga eh, napabilib pa namin sila sa presentation! They even wanted to snob the main course which was fried chicken for the spaghetti. They were all waiting for the spaghetti to be served. Kaso naubusan ng styro plates. Guess what they did? They improvised! They used the plastic cups which was intended for the juice instead. Haha! Oha, ganoon nila kagusto matikman yung spaghetti, hehe. Geesh, my ego is so big right now! I need to deflate it.. =p

Superman sighting! =p

While I liked the latest movie, I'm no big Superman fan. But I'm amazed at how Brandon Routh beat the likes of Josh Hartnett and Jake Gylenhaal for the super role. He's practically amateur, right? Naku, pasalamat siya, gwapo siya, because I don't think the super role really needed super acting talent, right? But I truly agree, he was perfect for the role. I guess it was meant for him.

So when I read somewhere that Brandon Routh was in the music video of Christina Aguilera's What A Girl Wants, I immediately checked the video on youtube. And I think I found him.

Sorry for the quality of the video, hehe. Kamukha naman niya, diba? He was on screen for about 1-2 seconds. Check it out for yourself. I'm convinced it's him because he flashed the same smile from the movie (and on the posters) on the said music video.

So there, wala lang. Share... Haha! =p

Previously on (insert TV Series title here)...

As I have probably mentioned many times before, ever since I was in college, my weekday TV routine died. Kasi wala akong TV sa Quezon City.

At my first boarding house back in freshman year, the TV only had 4 channels -- ABS-CBN 2, GMA 7, RPN 9 & IBC 13. Even so, I had to fight for airtime from around 10 other senior tenants! Haha! Ano naman laban ko diba, eh hamak na probinsyanong freshie lamang ako, hehe. When I moved to my orgmates' apartment (where I still live these days) 1.5 years later, there was no TV at all. In short, I really had to say goodbye to my regular daily TV viewing habits. Weekends na lang talaga ako nakakapanood.
But having said that, that did not prevent me and my housemates from watching famous TV series in the US. Around 4 years ago, nauuso na yung pag-download ng mga TV episodes.

SMALLVILLE
I think I've mentioned before that I'm a fan. One afternoon, all my housemates were excitedly watching it, so I joined them out of curiosity. And the rest is history. I've seen all episodes from Season 1 to Season 5 -- through downloads and borrowing of CDs from friends and/or classmates.
Some personal opinions: Lois Lane and Chloe Sullivan are my favorite characters for their sarcastic wit, haha! I'm not into Lana Lang anymore, particularly since Season 4, I've grown tired of her being the eternal damsel in distress. And if only every parent in the world is as principled as Jonathan and Martha Kent, this planet would be a better place, sobra!



DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES
Same thing, I've mentioned before that I'm a DH addict, so I won't elaborate much. For some quotes, visit my previous posts: 1 2.
Some personal opinions: I'm not a housewife (hello..), but I have to choose my favorite character, it would have to be Lynette. I could relate to her strong sense of right and wrong. Even if sometimes, she could already be rude, she wouldn't stop until she gets her points accross. That is so me, haha! Nga pala, kras ko si Gabrielle Solis! Haha! I really love the way she pronounced Aurora in Season 2 Episode 8 -- very sexy!



GREY'S ANATOMY
Kuya Argel discovered this series almost a year before it arrived in Phillipines (whether free TV or Cable TV). So practically almost nobody else was talkin about it, hehe. Funny how he was compelled to download it. Kuya Argel thought it was a sexy series because its first scene featured its lead couple naked in the living room, haha! Akala niya puro bold ang show, tapos in the end medical series pala siya, haha! We still loved it anyway. It is also very well written -- it has the right amount of humor, sarcasm and drama. Plus, it's very inspiring because it features lead characters who help people on a daily basis.
First season only had 9 episodes because it was only a mid-season replacement in US TV. At ngayon, katatapos lang yata ng full-length Season 2 nito. And I even read a while ago in the newspaper that its lead the Emmy nominations.
I've only watched up Episode 2 Season 2 because I'm still downloading the other episodes. Thanks to Smart Bro, I can download the episodes myself and I wouldn't have to rely on underground trade of pirated goods to get my AVI fix of this TV series.
"There is nothing worse in the world than thinking you have a chance when you really don't." -- Meredith Grey
Some personal opinions: Don't we just love complicated love stories like Meredith and Dr. McDreamy's? Haha! Dito naman, ang kras ko si Izzy (syempre siya lang naman ang isa pang maganda, aside from Renee look-alike Meredith! Ala ngan namang si Cristina Yang). And I could relate to George's kung-ako-ba-siya-mamamahalin-mo drama, wahaha!


PRISON BREAK
Another EEE classmate, Jeric, introduced me to this series last February. I was borrowing something else from him when he asked if I've heard of Prison Break. He said it was good and coincidentally, he was bringing his copy of the first episode. So I agreed to give it a try. I wasn't addicted on the first episode unlike on Desperate Housewives, but I sure hell was intrigued. I couldn't imagine how Michael Scoffield and his brother escape a high-security facility like Fox River State Penitentiary. So around a 2 weeks later, Jeric gave me a copy of the first 13 episodes. Haha! Kaya ayun, na-addict din ako eventually. I've actually just finished the whole Season 1 just this Friday.
Some personal opinions: Kahit addict ako nito, nakaka-stress talaga siya panoorin! Sobra! The series is captivating not because of its humor or romantic angle. Suspense kung suspense talaga! It's like you'll never get enough of frustration, setback, depression and injustice. And of course -- intrigue. Despite the stress it brings, curiosity will get the best of you, you'd still watch the series. Dito naman, ansarap iuwi sa Mama ko si Dr Tancredi! Haha! Kahit na medyo duling ang mga mata niya, my heart really goes out to her.

All four TV series will resume airing on either September or October. Antagal pa! Haha! Naiinip na ako. So far, Grey's Anatomy pa lang ang hindi ko natatapos, kasi nga dinadownload ko pa. I don't know if i can still consider these shows as part of my "TV viewing routine", kasi kahit TV shows sila, hindi ko naman sila sa TV napapanood! Haha! Anyway, my next targets are Lost and the Ghost Whisperer. Antagal ko nang naghahanap ng source for Lost!

Tagged!... Yet again (Part 2)

Well the last half of my 10 Simple Pleasures in Life post. Sa totoo lang, hindi pa rin naiisip yung 5, let's see what pops into my mind...

6. A bus ride home. Hmm, doesn't everyone feel good about the idea of going home? =) I've been travelling to Quezon City and back for the past 5 years now. I've been on many different kinds of buses already (pati pala mga FX, haha!), but the feeling is always the same the moment you find your seat -- home is at hand. Noong 1st year ako, pahirapan ang pagsakay ng bus sa San Fernando Intersection. Pero ngayon, with the terminals of Bataan Transit and Victory Liner, not anymore! May student discount pa, hehe. Iba talaga yung feeling ng naka-bus. Totoo yung pinapakita sa commercials or movies kapag ang character ay pauwi ng bahay nang naka-bus. Ramdam mo talaga yung kasabikan sa pag-uwi.

7. To go home and discover that your favorite is the night's dinner. It's self-explanatory actually. Actually, this is a bigger deal for those like me who are away from home for days. Ansarap ng feeling na pag-uwi galing from somewhere, pagkatapos mong magtiis sa mga karinderia nang isang linggo, paborito mong ulam ang nakahain. Kapag ganito, naiisip ko lagi, "Finally, some real food!" Haha!

8. Friendster testimonials. Just got a new testi from Jigs (yep, si Jigs na naman, haha!). It's his 3rd actually. But it is only his 2nd serious testi, hehe. I hate graphic Friendster testimonials. Tsaka yung mga parang picture message na made of different keyboard characters. Hehe, wala lang. I'm the type of person who prefers real words than vague graphics that you can get anywhere in the internet. Yung own words kasi, sariling sikap yun, galing talaga sa puso. Of course, greeting cards are a whole lotta different story. But anyway, I really treasure my testimonials. I always re-read them when I don't feel so good about myself.

9. The longing look from your pet. I guess, you could only relate if you're a pet lover yourself. Though usually, only dogs and cats are capable of showing emotions similar to humans' (tama ba ako?). Kanina lang, pag-uwi ko, si Ashley kaagad nakita ko. Hindi ko talaga matiis yung pacute niyang tingin! Haha! Kaya kahit bitbit ko pa yung 2 maleta ko at kahit na alam kong madumi siya kasi hindi pa yata siya naliligo, hinawakan ko agad siya.

10. Comments on your blog. Need I say more? Haha! Halata bang nanlilimos ako ng comments? Haha! I guess like any blogger out there, comments are REALLY appreciated. I guess it's because it's a sign that at least you were able to induce enough energy on your readers for them to actually spend a few neurons to share their own thoughts.

So there, finally, tapos na! Haha! A post in 2 consecutive days? Aba, apparition ito, haha! =p

Tagged!... Yet again (Part 1)

To my avid readers, eto, finally a new post! Haha! =p Well, I know you missed me (feeling, hehe), na-miss ko rin naman kayo. F*ck kasi, sira yung telephone cord ko sa apartment! Hindi man lang ako makapag-connect to at least upload some updates. Oh well.

The truth is, I've been itching to blog the whole week. But now that I've finally had time, I don't even know what to share. So I decided to answer the long overdue chain tag by Jigs. I'm supposed to enumerate 10 simple pleasures in life. Hmm, ano nga ba...

1. Old friends. After all, the person who forced me to do this chain tag is an old friend, haha! I've known Jigs for a total of 8 years now. Even if I decided to study in Manila, we still managed to keep in touch, especially when we see each other every few months. Plus, just a few moments ago, I accompanied my friend of 9 years and his sister inquire about MBA requirements here at UP. So ayun, tourist guide mode ako kanina, haha!

2. A soft cold breeze. The weather today has been crazy! Before I woke up, it rained hard (around 7am). But when I went out of the house to attend my class, it was already sunny! Then after my class, it was raining hard again! I was almost dripping wet when I met my old friend this afternoon. After that, it was sunny again. Then after we finished inquiring at CBA, it rained hard again!! Arrgh! When it was time for them to go, it was sunny again. Putek, nakakabaliw! Haha! So as of this moment, it's cloudy (as in the dark nimbus clouds, hehe) and windy. I'm sitting by the window at the 4th floor of the EEE building and I'm loving the soft cold breeze.

3. MP3s. Sandali lang, 'simple pleasure' ba ito? Haha! Oh sige, let's just say 'Music'. I suppose even the masa has access to music, hehe. So there, big deal talaga para sa akin ang music. I can live without TV at our apartment but I can't live without music. Kaya nga naman nakakailang MP3 player na ako eh! Haha!

4. Playing with my nephews. Ha! Now this is saying something. Firstly, I'm not a kid person. Not that I hate kids, but I'm not the type who gets so excited when I see cute babies / kids. But playing with my 3 nephews is priceless. Ewan ko ba, I so hate them lalu na kapag nagkakalat sila sa kwarto ko o kaya kapag maingay at magulo sila. But playing with them is another story. Favorite game namin ay pillow fight. Imagine a 21-year-old throwing pillows at kids aged 5, 6 & 8 and vice versa. Haha! Obvious naman na talo sila diba. Pero ayun, enjoy na enjoy sila kapag natatamaan nila ako.

5. Chocolates. Syempre, maaari ba namang mawala ito sa listahan ng kingofchocolates? Haha! Of course, I have my favorite classy chocolates like praline and truffles. Pero napagtitiyagaan ko na ang mga tig-pipiso tulad ng Vital or Chocnuts, Mik-Mik, Curly Tops / Flat Tops, etc. Minsan talaga, kahit mura, masarap pa rin talaga.

Sheet! Ang hirap pala mag-isip ng simple pleasures in life! Haha! Not that my life lacks pleasurable things ha. Nahihirapan ako mag-isip kung ano ang pleasurable pero simple lang. Next time na lang yung 5! Hehe..

Blogs Galore! 8

SUPERMAN RETURNS

I watched the highly anticipated movie last Wednesday at SM North Edsa with 15 of my Aguman orgmates. Our org decided to watch this movie as an official bonding activity, thus our big number. We had dinner at the foodcourt and we were worth 3 rows of seats on left side of Cinema 4.

So, the all-important question -- was it worth the wait? Frankly, I don't know, haha! The release dates of the first four Superman movies are 1978, 1980, 1983 and 1987. Since I was born in 1984, ibig sabihin noon, isang Superman movie pa lang ang nadatnan ko. I have a vague memory of watching one of these Reeve starrers on Betamax as a child. I can't tell which Superman movie it was. I can't even remember the story! So in short, watching Superman Returns is like a fresh movie for me, I have no point of comparison. Besides, I wasn't exactly waiting for this movie, haha! Having watched a lot of movies in theaters in late May (thus, I've seen its trailer many times as well), I wasn't at all excited on this Superman movie. In my mind, I know I'll be watching it. I just didn't have this I-couldn't-wait-anymore madness, hehe. If watching the movie wasn't an official org activity, I wouldn't watch the movie on its first screening day.

BUT, I did enjoyed the movie. I can't say that I'm a Superman fan, whether it be in movies, cartoons or comics. I didn't even watch Lois & Clark on ABC 5! But I'm a huge Smallville fan. Siguro naman, pwede na iyon, diba? Haha! The adult Clark Kent played by newbie Brandon Routh was a fun watch for me. I don't know, maybe its because, all of a sudden, this Clark Kent has some sense of humor even if Chloe Sullivan's witty sarcasm isn't around to back him up. I can safely say that Routh deserved the part.

As for Kate Bosworth - well, she's pretty. Syempre, yun lang nasabi ko no? Haha! I can't really compare her to Teri Hatcher as Lois Lane, because, like I said, I wasn't into Lois & Clark. But compared to Erica Durance of Smallville, I like Durance more. Si Rosie ng Win A Date With Tad Hamilton ang nakikita ko, hindi si Lois Lane. =p

Ah, James Marsden - poor, poor fellow. Why does he always have to end up the 1st runner-up? Haha! It's The Notebook ending for him all over again. I still wished he still stayed on X3. I can't say this role was worth giving up Cyclops, because they're entirely different characters. Hindi naman kasi siya mutant sa Superman eh. Unless, he becomes a villain in the next Superman movies. Hmmm...

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TENNIS

Wimbledon Championships has begun this week -- and I've heard that Andre Agassi is playing albeit for the last time. So I'm trying to reviving my interest on this sport. You see, we had cably TV in the mid 90's. That was when I was exposed to watching tennis on sports channels by my dad. It was the era of Andre Agassi, Monica Seles, Steffi Graf, Boris Becker, Michael Chang, Martina Hingis. Of course, this era was reigned by Pete Sampras. I can't remember why I liked Agassi better. Haha! Eh halos lagi naman natatalo si Agassi kapag kalaban niya si Sampras. Haha!
I have forgotten why I sort of lost touch with this sport. Maybe it started in college, because I couldn't watch the games anymore. We didn't have cable TV in my boarding house then. And so, fast forward to almost a decade later, I'm not aware who are the better players these days. Well, kilala ko naman ang likes nina Hewitt, Henin-Hardinne, Clijsters, Safin, Nadal -- I hear their names on TV from time to time and from my housemate who's a tennis freak, haha! At wag kayo, alive pa pala si Martina Hingis! Too bad, she lost o Sugiyama (I caught the game last night).
Tennis is one sport that I like that I haven't played myself. Hehe. While I am not a sporty person, I do like Volleyball, Badminton, Bowling and Tennis (yeah, the sports that geeks prefer, haha!). I've played all sports myself except for Tennis. It's kinda ironic because we have these 2 graphite rackets at our cabinet. Kailan ko kaya sila magagamit? Pang-mayaman na sport kasi to eh! Hehe!

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EMPERADOR

Ha! Picture a person who thinks drinking the night away is no fun at all. In times of problems, while most people would invite friends to binge on drinks with them, he'd rather binge on chocolates and delicious food to cushion his depression. Well, the person you're picturing is me, hehe!

Hindi talaga ako mahilig sa inuman. Why? Kasi mapait! Haha! Pero nakainom na rin naman ako - beer, beer lite (haha!), mga gin with some juice with it. Alcohol is not the issue for me, it's the taste that bothers me. For as long as the alcoholic drink tastes good, I would want to drink it, hehe.

So there, I've never been drunk in my life. But last Thursday, I think I was close to being one. Nag-Emperador kami ng mga orgmates ko. Haha! Wow, that's something not even the people closest to me couldn't imagine me doing. Well, yeah, my head was already aching, but I was still sober -- alam ko pa ang sinasabi ko, at nakakalakad pa ako ng diretso. I give credit to my Dizon genes -- lahi kasi kami ng mga tomador. Though I haven't exactly exercised the hereditary skill, haha!

Yun lang, just wanna share I did an outrageous thing this week. Sorry kung medyo corny, pero para sa katauhan ko, outrageous na iyon. At ako pa nag-yaya na uminom - pero Vodka Mudshake ang niyaya ko ha, hindi yung Emperador. Trips lang talaga siya. There was no occasion, no celebration, no problems to talk about. It was just a spur of the moment thing.

Weird nga eh, because this morning I woke up with a headache. I can't think of any reason why. Siguro, delayed ang hangover ko? Haha