hiatus
Posted at 12:30 AM

If you're wondering why I haven't been updating this blog, it's because the layout sucks.

I migrated to LiveJournal. I dunno, I like it better there than here. I'm not linking directly, 'cos the link is somewhere here. (hint: probably now's the time to start clicking on those links at the top, eh?)

wtf?
Posted at 11:35 PM

What the hell happened??

I lost my previous template, dammit. Okay, so maybe Tabulas is now at version 2, but why delete the styles????

Posted at 06:39 PM

Hey,

I'm asking this on behalf of a friend of mine in my org, ACLC. His dad needs AB+ blood for his spinal operation, so if you know anyone who's of this type and is willing to help out, don't hesitate to contact me. I know that AB+ is kinda rare, about 1 in 33 people, but I hope that doesn't stop anyone.

a black hole here on earth
Posted at 02:30 AM

Videoke/Karaoke has this black hole quality to it that sucks in everyone into singing, sober or otherwise, whether in tune or not. It is in singing that one gets to know the singer a bit better--in my case my friends found out that I have a knack for old artists' songs (Bryan Adams, Frank Sinatra, etc)

All this revelry happened last night in Eastwood, for a blockmate Benedict's party since he's going back to the States in a few days. The place was Cable Car, personally notorious since it was the place where I got drunk the first time. Haha. Almost everyone sang something, though I was dismayed when I found out a song costs 5 pesos each. Hehehe.

the new year calls for a revival
Posted at 01:33 AM

my Livejournal blog is back, now that I know how to modify the template.

Hahaha.

Visit visit visit!!

Three Things
Posted at 05:11 PM

Got this from someone posting at Mela's livejournal na kilala ko pala since High School.

THREE NAMES YOU GO BY:
~ Dino
~ Dins
~ err... Gelo. haha.

THREE SCREEN NAMES YOU HAVE HAD:
~ pa_goodshot
~ ddelarama
~ dino_dinosaur

THREE THINGS YOU LIKE ABOUT YOURSELF:
~ I study in Ateneo.
~ I have a habit of playing old PC games, listening to old (hey, nineties.) songs, watching old shows, etc.
~ "I love my friends too. " quote

THREE THINGS YOU DON'T LIKE ABOUT YOURSELF:
~ I do things at th last minute.
~ I need to get out of the house more.
~ I can't control myself once I get drunk.

THREE PARTS OF YOUR HERITAGE:
~ Filipino
~ we're a big clan, so i dunno an average 80% of my relatives.
~ Atenean (Go Ateneo!)

THREE THINGS THAT SCARE YOU:
~ flying roaches.
~ Love
~ losing someone, especially a friend or family

THREE OF YOUR EVERYDAY ESSENTIALS:
~ sleep
~ internet
~ my uber-light laptop

THREE THINGS THAT YOU ARE WEARING RIGHT NOW:
~ my old 3K (that's my HS section, btw. I have no shirts that cost 3K above) Ateneo PE shirt.
~ black shorts
~ underwear

THREE OF YOUR FAVORITE BANDS/ARTISTS AT PRESENT:
~ Splender
~ Maroon 5
~ err....

THREE OF YOUR FAVORITE SONGS AT PRESENT:
~ Wallflower (Splender)
~ Formula 1 club mix
~ The Middle (Jimmy Eat World)

I've got a whole playlist. now you know what i'd like to recieve. :D

THREE THINGS YOU WANT TO TRY IN THE NEXT 12 MONTHS:
~ DRIVING, friggin' hell!!!
~ seriously going to the gym (I was gym-ming before, but then my weekends got full, so I had to cancel)
~ Go to Boracay

THREE THINGS YOU WANT IN A RELATIONSHIP:
~ Love
~ honesty
~ transparency (whokey, I sound like the government)

TWO TRUTHS AND A LIE: (figure out which is which)
~ I have a crush on someone who's out of my league.
~ La Salle is pretty okay.
~ I think the Holidays are pretty overrated.

THREE THINGS ABOUT THE OPPOSITE SEX THAT APPEAL TO YOU:
~ art lover (that includes music, videos, TV, movies, and other stuff. basta art.)
~ intelligent
~ a cute dimple-thingy at the back, above the butt area (heehee)


THREE THINGS YOU JUST CAN'T DO:
~ drive (not yet, anyway)
~ wake up early (for the past few weeks, I've been waking up, like, 1 PM na)
~ finish something seriously

THREE OF YOUR FAVORITE HOBBIES:
~ listening to music (i don't download anymore, because KaZaA has a lot of spyware, trojans, adware, you name it. I get pissed when I uninstall KaZaA and suddenly a lot of GAIN adware pops up.)
~ watching movies.
~ reading.

THREE THINGS YOU WANT TO DO BADLY RIGHT NOW:
~ finish Hamlet.
~ study for Math.
~ watch a filmfest movie (remember the previous entry where I said im gonna watch one? haha. i haven't done this yet)

THREE CAREERS YOU'RE CONSIDERING:
~ advertising
~ any job in ADB classified as Professional (so that I get to work in the Phils, plus I get a tax-exempt Blue Plate car [two, if i'm lucky enough], go to work-related trips around the world FOR FREE, AND I get paid in US DOLLARS!! HAHAHAhA!!!!)
~ an IT job, especially in this place

THREE PLACES YOU WANT TO GO ON VACATION:
~ Italy
~ Germany
~ France

THREE KID'S NAMES:
~ Ariadne
~ Cole
~ Rosaurio

Driving slow on Sunday Morning
Posted at 10:28 AM

Imagine my surprise when I woke up today at 8:30 in the morning. Besides getting friggin' pissed that I woke up at an ungodly hour (i usually wake up 12-ish to 2-ish), I was, in fact, greeted with a tasty treat.

Shaider.

I was channel surfing the boob tube, from getting depressed early in the morning from CNN's coverage of the Tsunami to the surprising new John Mayer video, Daughters in Billboard Top 100, until I finally reached GMA. Okay, so maybe we could chalk it up to GMA for graciously filling up the screen with useless sidebar advertisements on downloading your favorite Starstruck survivor or favorite ringtone on your cellphone! Anyway, I was watching Shaider when I suddenly realized a lot of things about the show.

1. Ganda pala ni Annie, or whatever name the translators gave!
2. The fight scenes that litter the show have a distinct artfilm-istic quality to it; subtle effects that may look silly compared to today's CG wonders but overall enchances the show in more ways than one. The lack of transition when various extras turn into goons at a blink of an eye, or when in the entrance of a theme park Annie runs away from the baddies and jumps up then suddenly the scene shifts to the roller coaster rails where she takes a ride at the approaching train, then she jumps down again, with the goons chasing her, until she stands and fights, boasting excellent martial arts skills, makes the show 'jumpy'.
3. Shaider actually is cool. Haha. The stunts (esp. Martial Arts) each character performs that's very typical of Japanese pop culture, the costumes, (okay. so maybe some monsters look silly) although very obvious that they were not prosthetics or really complicated Hollywood make-up, and cinematography: not just in the fight scenes, but everything else--the timing when the characters appear, or disappear, on cue, the seamless and sometimes jumpy camera shots. Plus, the silly out-of-place extras such as a saxophone player playing jazz tunes in the top of the rails in a roller coaster of an empty theme park but actually holds a gun concealed inside the saxophone that fires volleys just after Alexis/Shaider dashes inside to rescue Annie, the occasional kidnapped victims who only nod in camera and not open their mouths, but thanks to Filipino translators who ruin some parts of the show the extras actually get to say something with their mouths closed.
5. Finally, Babylos, the flying gunship, and the Shaider Cutter, an unmistakable lightsaber copycat, but is wielded much more dexterity and finesse than the Jedis of Star Wars 4-6.

It's 10:30, and I'd better get some grub. And do my homework (finish reading all of Hamlet, which was a homework for the break that conveniently, I didn't do.)
Splender - Wallflower

it ended with a bang
Posted at 02:56 AM

It's 1:32 in the morning. Let's just say I'm ecstatic to have attended this last caroling night of the season. I just came from the last caroling night of my org, ACLC, in an orgmate's house in Cinco Hermanos. The Christmas carols were (expected) in tune, the food was superb, but what really made the night was the Bellarmine field bonding with the rest of the ACLC carolers and the fireworks display at Marikina.

Yesterday, 9 in the evening. Some people were having fun playing Frisbee. And the Bel field lights were off. Some were sitting down in the grass: there were couples, there were people bonding through funny and irritating jokes. Then there were others by the lampposts near North carpark, some smoking, some just hanging out with the smokers. Everyone was having a good time until my katabi decided to play Boink Boink (sp? ; best played with a crowd, you play with an invisible ball of sorts that you pass around the circle by doing various actions. failure to 'pass the ball' or make a mistake in action results in a consequence, here questions were answered). Okay, so I got boinked three, maybe four times and answered funny and totally stupid questions but there was two people who got the whole caroler group attentive. Nag-amin sila na sila na, and I go "ayan na, alam na, wala nang taguan to." haha. The group decided that this was the buzzer beater of the night, the four point play of the game and there was no overtime to top this revelation, so everyone decided to hang out in Starbucks Katipunan.

About 11:30-12 in the morning. I rode with four people going to Starbucks. On the way, in Katipunan, we saw the Marikina skyline lit with fireworks, so we decided to head on to the Katipunan fly-over and stop alongside the center island. We were the second car to park, then all of a sudden various cars of shapes, sizes, and on both lanes of the fly-over stopped to watch the skyline. Another org mate was the third car to park along the Katipunan stretch, and he was behind our car. There were really huge spherical fireworks, some fireworks that seem to materialize out of thin air, and some fireworks that appear to approach closer and closer to you. The final display was of a sprouting sort: fireworks seemed to sprout from an exploded ember, creating a tree-like effect. Kudos to the Marikina city government or whoever organizers to come up with a breathtaking event.

Few minutes after the display. We proceeded to Starbucks Katipunan and hung out until the place started to close. There was the inside group (couch potatoes) and the outside group (smokers). I was in the inside group. Bonded with the inside group, had a 'semi-free group discussion about love. haha. this was in connection with the recent revelation of the two people. haha. lucky them! guy likes girl and girl likes guy back. Kaboom. And the twain has met. Then my katabi orgmate interviewed me for her over-the-break homework. Glad to help out. After that, in my user-friendly mode, I sabay-ed with another orgmate going home. Haha. Arrived home at about 1:20 AM, and started writing this while it's still fresh.

Whoa. I can't believe I actually wrote something spontaneous like this. Sorry for a hasty entry. See, it's almost 3 in the morning. I should get some sleep...not. With the caffeine in effect, I'd probably stay up the whole night. Haha!

Gaddemit. I'm going to miss caroling. it's 11 months to go before the next season starts! It's in moments like I'm beginning to appreciate my joining a great org. Cheers to many more events, bonding sessions, and activities to come!

hey friends,
Posted at 02:19 AM

1. Do you (yes, you) have a copy of the Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King EXTENDED edition on DVD? And, by chance, do you also happen to have the EXTENDED editions of both Fellowship and The Two Towers? If you answered YES to any (better if all) of the questions, can I borrow it? As long as it's a Region 1 or Region 3 DVD, I don't care.

2. Do you also have the Japanese movie, Zatoichi? Can I borrow it too?

3. Finally, how about Wong Kar-wai's 2046?

I don't care if it's pirated or original (okay, maingat ako sa original), region 1 or 3.

YM, comment, tag, or text me.

a party and a night
Posted at 02:03 AM

Went to my org, ACLC's simple dinner yesterday (earlier, really. It's 1:36 in the morning so that makes it about five hours ago) at Ays' condo in Annapolis, Greenhills. Had a really 'simple' Puttanesca and Seafood pasta as main course and marble cake from Bread Talks as dessert. After dinner, I and a couple of friends played a game (it's a question-and-answer type of game where the "emcee" reads the question in a vertical cardboard, and the answer could be found by 'flipping' to the next cardboard page) that was meant for fourth graders (9-10 years old; for the United States kids, I guess). Some of my orgmates were not able to answer the questions meant for a 9 year old, which I found quite stupid since the topics were too broad (or maybe it's just that the system of education here in the Philippines is nonexistent).

Anyway, I got bored so I went inside one of the bedrooms and saw other orgmates watching The Matrix Reloaded, so I decided to watch it since there was nothing else to do. When the movie reached the most boring point (the all-talk-and-little-action climax), I went out of the room and saw my other orgmates watching America's Funniest Home Videos, even if it was a replay. God, I love that show.

People started to leave a moment after the show, and I had a major problem getting home. So, me, in my user-friendly mode, decided to sabay with Marky, who was bringing Robbie and Michiko home, I guess.

That party was the only time I had (and still have; gin pom!) alcohol in my system this Christmas break (well, save for the block's christmas party, of which I was not drunk), and I'm loving it. I decided to ride with somebody else, since Marky was leaving earlier, but when I found out that everyone was leaving in about 5-10 minutes, I ended up riding with Marky, Robbie, and Michiko instead. Oh yeah, need I mention that I broke Marky's (left? right?) sandal before we got out of the elevator at Ays' place? Anyway, I was dropped off in a nearby convenience store where I bought Cheetos (friggin' expensive!!)

Last caroling day tomorrow! (before you start: Christmas ends at the Epiphany, not the second after 11:59:59 PM on December 25) And I will try to watch a film fest movie before that happens, I don't care what. I'm gonna end up disappointed anyway. I know I shouldn't bother but hey.

Like Sybil and Adrian, I'll be doing a review of 2004 next. Now, gotta remember the things that happened before the rest of my brain cells get fried.

My dial up grants me free internet from 12MN to 8AM! Hahaha!

Top Five for 2004, part 2
Posted at 04:17 PM

Here's my Best and Worst Books list. I only read a few books this year, but I was able to come up with a rather arguable rundown.

Best Books:
1. The Little Prince (Antoine de Saint-Exupery)
2. Vintage Murakami (collection of Haruki Murakami's works)
3. 1984 (George Orwell)
4. Inferno (Dante Alighieri)

Worst Books:
1. The Da Vinci Code (okay. Besides finding this book too predictable, the characters were unmistakably cardboard cutouts, the plot was too whimsical, Dan Brown made claims that were overt exaggerations of accepted beliefs, et cetera. Oh, and did I mention that this book actually made a few people I know question their faith?? And I read an article from the Philippine Daily Inquirer [I forgot the date] about a guy who faced the same predicament. What a stupid thing to do. Also, doing a Helen-of-Troy-of-sorts, this book launched a thousand books written by Catholic authors claiming otherwise. Was this a money venture done by Dan Brown for the Catholic Church?)
2. Angels and Demons (okay. read my DVC comment. Predictable, false claims, cardboard cut out characters, and antimatter??? You're too Star Trek. Okay, so maybe it does exist, and CERN does create the thing. But this? sheesh.)
3. The Silmarillion (J.R.R. Tolkien's footnotes and scratchwork were capitalized by his son, earning money for their estate. Wala lang.)
4. Like Water for Chocolate (some people will disasgree with me. Okay, the book was good, I admit. But it's too... fantastical or whimsical or [insert word here] for me.)
5. Harry Potter 5 (enough. JK Rowling's a goddamn billionaire already. In 5-6 years, she was able to amass fortune more or less equal to that of Henry Sy's. Eat that, you Contractual King you. Whokey, so maybe that veered out of direction. Anyway, suffice to say I bought all five books and read them because of bandwagon appeal. Sheesh. College does change lives.)