I'm such a boy

Come to the Dark Side

2009-12-29T08:51:21Z

Dear LJ Friends,

Join Tumblr. It's super fun. :))

LARISPAN.TUMBLR.COM
LJ's fun. But this one's been abandoned. Sorry. :( Join me in Tumblr and come to the dark side.

Just do it. Impossible is nothing... and other motivational crap.

2009-09-19T06:11:35Z

If you haven't heard, my Boyfriend won his first Grand Slam. :"> And no, it wasn't in my dreams. He really did win a grand slam. Just Google "Juan Martin del Potro", and there you go. And you know what else? It was against Roger Federer. Roger Freaking Federer. So yeah, my Boyfriend is made of awesome. He had a welcome home parade in his hometown and everything. God, I'm so proud. Because I always knew he could do it, and I'm not as flabbergasted about the result compared to the rest of the tennis world. So yay, Boyfriend!

To other news that may or may not be more relevant to you, I'm taking the ACET tomorrow and I'm absolutely stunned about it. As in, not prepared, and expecting to fail it miserably. This week has just been so hectic and I haven't had time to prioritize studying for the ACET. It's insane, really, how much time has flown. I miss last summer when I'd run to KFC with BeaBay and Cel and the ACET was so conveniently far away.

But I'm not going to choke about it. I'm revising Math for it right now. Because the ACET is like a US Open final. All I really need to do is dig deep and find my emergency reserves and keep pushing and fighting and not give up just like Boyfriend. My US Open trophy will come in the form of a big envelope, filled with admission guidelines and whatnots.

Wish me luck.

Let's talk newspapers

2009-08-21T12:40:22Z

Of my two extra-curricular activities for this school year (namely, Debate and writing news articles for the Theresian magazine), this week I've realized which one I'd like to pursue as an extra-curricular in college or, God forbid, as a career in the future. (Let me tell you right now that it isn't Debate. No, I repeat, I don't want to be a lawyer.) I've realized that I'm actually quite the effective writer.

And the realization proceeded in this manner: Ms. Calero gave me two consecutive stars in my last two entries in my Take 10 writing journal for Creative Writing and Journalism class. I realized then that, hey, I'm actually good at this! And it might seem silly to you considering I passed the Theresian magazine screening with flying colors, but I passed the Debate try-outs too, and I'm not very good at debating at all. And besides, I respect Ms. Calero even if she thinks journalism is drab and we'd be much better off writing for creative purposes. I respect Ms. Calero and getting validation from her is a great feeling.

And like most experiences in my life thus far, I can't help but somehow link this ground-breaking epiphany with college. Why? Because I'm an anxious, average student who feels as if she bombed the UPCAT. And students who fill that criteria perfectly generally don't stop thinking about college and what the future will unfold for them.

So as if I haven't researched on Philippine colleges enough, I put my fingers at work in Google yet again, only this time I focused on each of my college choices' student newspaper. After all, I've always had dreams of me running around in an ID that proclaims SCHOOL PRESS, tracking down some red-faced college administrator to get said administrator to comment on the recent tuition fee hikes. Honestly, I don't know if they actually have SCHOOL PRESS IDs, but hey, a girl can dream.

So let's start with the first collegiate student newspaper I've ever encountered. And like most encounters, this also has a back story:

Back in the heyday of my youth, I used to take piano lessons in UP every summer before I ended up with a particularly unlikable piano instructor I nicknamed BDAD (for Bald, Deaf, And Dumb) who made me realize that I hate men and I'm very tone deaf. So while my dreams of playing the piano in the CCP collapsed, my sister's musical dreams were still ongoing. She was still taking lessons long before I quit, so I'd still go to UP's College of Music to hang around in the canteen munching on their delicious brownies, casing the cats around, or eating fishball or kikiam. On a particularly boring day, my mother managed to get her hands on a copy of the Philippine Collegian, which lay abandoned on one of the waiting benches. It was, forgive the cliche, love at first sight.

The Philippine Collegian, nicknamed Kulê (Why is everything nicknamed with an "ê" in UP? Kulê, Oblê...), is the official student publication of my Forever Dream School the University of the Philippines. It is, not surprisingly, known for its radical, anti-administration views. The operative word "administration" there means the current Arroyo administration we are under (and probably past administrations), as well as the University's own administration. It was founded in 1922. And since then, if Wikipedia is to be believed, it has become a symbol for academic freedom, critical thinking, and journalistic integrity and excellence.

Its publication has ceased only thrice in its entire history, first during the Japanese occupation (publication resumed in 1946), second during Martial Law when the Kulê was forced into a three-week long hiatus, and lastly, a four-month long hiatus in 2006 wherein the editors of the paper place the blame in the UP administration for allegedly withholding the publication's funds. The last two mentioned events led to the publication of the Rebel Collegian, a "declaration of dissent". (Read the 2006 Rebel issue here in PDF format) Another Rebel Kulê was published in 1996, when controversy surrounded the publication's Editorial Examination.

Alumni of the publication include Senator Miriam Defensor-Santiago (the first female editor-in-chief), revolutionary Jose Maria Sison, current Chief Justice Reynato Puno, former Senate President Franklin Drilon, President Quezon's speechwriter Fernando Maramag, just to name a few. It's quite a melting pot of different people, isn't it?

Read the publication's history in its entirety here.

Read the Collegian: (It'll give you goosebumbs!)
Collegian News, updated with the latest news articles from the paper.
Kulê 09-10, 2 weeks old and still to be updated, but its worth checking in the future.
Kulê 08-09
Kulê 07-08
Kulê 06-07

Did I get anything wrong? Are you a Philippine Collegian expert who stumbled upon my blog? Don't hesitate to correct me :D

To be able to write for the Collegian, especially since we are currently in a pivotal moment in our country's political arena, will be aptly named MOST AWESOME MOMENT IN MY LIFE EVER. Yes, it's not very articulate, but at the moment the possibility of this happening seems like such a distant dream, I rarely ever allow myself the indulgence of dreaming and hoping... Ah, UPCAT. Those Math problems were probably written my martians.

My meeting with the next student newspaper is a little more straight forward.

As you may or may not know, my sister is a proud Tomasino, Thomasian, Growling Tiger (yes, she actually does have a tigerband), whatever you want to call students of the Pontifical and Royal University of Santo Tomas, Catholic University of the Philippines (whew, what a mouthful). And every month, she brings home a glossy broadsheet, a little publication named the Varsitarian.

Founded in January 1928, the official student publication of the University of Santo Tomas is perhaps the most decorated students newspaper in the country, having earned an entry in the Cultural Center of the Philippines' Encyclopedia for the Arts because of its literary record. Its publication was allowed to continue through out the Martial Law years, covering even the massive funeral procession for the much revered Benigno Aquino Jr.

The Varsitarian was instrumental in the removal of mandatory military training course (in the form of ROTC) through its investigative report of corruption in the University's ROTC program. The main source of the expose, ROTC Cadet Mark Chua, was later found dead, floating in the Pasig River in March 2001. He was found with his limbs bound, and investigators concluded by the amount of river residue in his lungs that he was thrown into the river alive. Arnfulfo Aparri, one of the suspects in Chua's death, was convicted and sentenced to die by lethal injection. On January 23, 2002, R.A. 9163 or the "NSTP ACT" was ratified. Section 14 of the Act focused on the suspension of the ROTC requirement. Students are now given the option to choose from NSTP's three components, namely ROTC (Reserve Officers Training Corps), LTS (Literacy Training Service), and CWTS (Civic Welfare Training Service).

That, my friends, is an example of how effective journalism can initiate change for the country. And the Varsitarian is an embodiment of that.

To date, the Varsitarian has helped shape at least 10 Palanca Award recipients, at least 3 National Artists of both Literature and the Visual Arts, at least 3 National Book Award recipients, and at least 1 FAMAS winner. As Ms. Calero keeps telling us, they don't just give out Palancas, y'know. and there are other Varsitarian alumni who won a lot more awards, and a lot of fellowships and honorary degrees. I just thought I'd list down the most familiar awards just to dazzle all of you. So, did I dazzle you? (Har har, Edward joke)

Read the Varsitarian online here.

TO BE CONTINUED.

It's like tennis but, you know, verbal

2009-08-20T11:13:25Z

Debate is like Roger Federer. He's great to have around, but he's overbearing and at times downright annoying because you really just can't meet his standards when you do try to play tennis with him. Debate has been a choice extra-curricular of mine for a number of years now, even if I've only just come around to actually joining this year. It's great to be a part of the team and have a shirt with STC Debate Team printed on it, but it's so hard to meet up to what is essentially the standard of a "good debate". Okay, I admit the analogy is weak, but bear with me here, okay?

I stutter, I can never think of good rebuttals, I have yet to finish a seven-minute speech, and I need to work on my speech structure. To summarize, Debate hates me, is after me, and wants to burn me into a fine char. To give you an idea of how bad I am, if this were men's tennis, I'd be Greg Rusedski. I know what you're thinking: Who the hell is Greg Rusedski? Exactly.

I am so bad at this that I'm actually considering quitting. Because really, there are times I can't see myself improve at all.

But like all Roger Federer-like love/hate relationships, I am given hope sometimes. Like today. I was still just as bad today, but you know, it was better than the whole Cuban embargo disaster.

Sigh. Why are communists always after me?

(HAHA, see what I did there?)

The UPCAT Experience, In-depth

2009-08-02T08:29:48Z

Of three things I am absolutely sure: (Ok, what is it with me and Twilight references, despite my insistence that I don't like Twilight?)

One, goodbye UP. I'll probably get less than 50% in Math. I can feel it.
Two, I need to study for the ACET, and fast.
Three, AAAAAAHHHH. Ok, that was incoherent, but I had to put that in.

I'm so thankful for Ms. Ilano's pep talk last Friday. Just remembering everything she said makes me feel better (even just oh-so-slightly) about myself. "'Pag di kayo nakapasang UP, di ibig sabihin wala kayong alam. Hindi lang kayo tama para sa standard nila." Sigh. I hope you're right, Ms. Ilano, because I feel very, very stupid right now.

Let's take it to the top.

I woke up at around 3:54-ish this morning, and I glanced at my notes. (I know it's super off-limits to cram, but I wasn't trying to jam information in--I was just checking if I know enough). At 4:00, my mom asked me to come down and have breakfast already. I ate just one slice of bread because my heart was caught in my throat (hey, that's actually an UPCAT test item. :)) ) and my newly-adjusted braces hurt like hell. And then I took and bath and all that. The basic stuff you do before taking a test.

I brought my mom, my dad, and my sister with me (aka my whole direct family). It's a Filipino thing, I can't help it.

SOLAIR is great. I mean, compared to horror stories from my classmates of hot, unconditioned rooms (Hi, STC!) that is. The guy who sat beside me was from Ateneo high school and he was super nice. He told me that the ACET is harder than the UPCAT. Err, hi UST. :)) And I think I may have told him I'm in third year, because I'm such a useless spazz that way. Oops. It's the whole UPCAT nerves situation, I guess. I think his name is Robert or Randolph or Rudolph. And his surname is Tim-something. I do remember he was born on February 1st, 1992 and that his second name is Darnell. :)) And with that in mind, some sorry Physics formula had to be overwritten. Honestly, sometimes I remember the most unnecessary things.

So, yeah. English is pretty easy breezy. Reading comprehension was a bit of a hurdle because of the Tagalog bits. The "Did my wife sleep with my drinking buddies, and is one of them the father of my children?" question in science made my sides split for a bit. And Math was.... ugh. Really, let's just not talk about it. :(

Sigh. At the start of this day, I promised myself I'd write a perfectly coherent blog entry. Well, yeah. I guess the UPCAT has a unique way of putting brains into a state of frazzle for a bit even after the exam. I've lost my writing skill. For now, at least. I'm so glad Chelsea doesn't have any news articles in line for me this week, because really, I have not the nerve. :P

Oh, and my name is Lara Pangilinan. And I study in St. Theresa's College QC, not in Manila. :)) (UP printed the old STC Manila address in their test permits. Hey UP, the old STC Manila campus is Adamson University now, so it's kind of mean-spirited of us to steal their address.)

The only decent poem I've written

2009-07-25T15:55:50Z

I hate poetry

by Lara Pangilinan :|

Because verses and forms entrap me
my words only come when they can fly free
I’m eternally dependent on a rhyming dictionary
my work will never be like ‘Annabel Lee’

I hate poetry
the subject of too much interpretation
their different meanings a hot debate motion
the long dead poets laughing at our addiction

I hate poetry
and I curse the wretched irony
that I had to write this poetry anthology

This is the tour de force of my anthology. God, I can't believe I'm nagpupuyat on a Saturday for stupid poems. :( I'm not even done with the damn thing yet. Most of my poems rhyme, except for the free verse one if I can have it my way. Poems that don't rhyme just look so off to me, and they requre real skill, so rhyming it is for the unskilled.

The College Course Dilemma, part Infinity

2009-07-19T03:19:34Z

The Totally Unrelated to the Title Introduction of how the Refresher Course went
I got my LSC card, and according to it, I have a 9% greater chance of passing the ACET than the UPCAT. Isn't this great? I mean, if I go to Ateneo I won't end up a socialist revolutionary. Or there's a smaller chance of me ending up as a socialist revolutionary. Whatever the case, I really, really need to study for the UPCAT. And the ACET too. Because I got only about 40% of the Math ones right (I rounded that off to avoid humiliation). God, I hate Math. I wonder if Donna V will mind me hanging around her for the weeks following the UPCAT. Maybe I can suck in her Math abilities by osmosis.

Dilemma #1: UST (or, "No, Maybe I don't want to be a Journalist after all")
Because I am an impulsive moron half the time and I got totally amused by UST's super cool online application thingy with the checkmarks and the drop-down menus, I really didn't deliberate hard on which courses I chose. Nor did I really pay heed to the brown letters insisting that "This information cannot be changed" (okay, maybe that might be a paraphrase).

Now, keep that information in mind while viewing my choices for UST:

1. AB JOURNALISM - COLLEGE OF ARTS AND LETTERS
2. AB POLITICAL SCIENCE - COLLEGE OF ARTS AND LETTERS

Journalism? Do I really want to write about boring affairs for the rest of my life? (I hope Chelsea doesn't find this) I mean, yeah, I want to win a Pulitzer Prize, I want to expose a massacre of some sort. But journalists don't start out as that, right? Maybe Anderson Cooper first started typing write-ups for Hamptons magazine before CBS and later CNN got whiff of his talent and drafted him in (this is hypothetical, of course). I don't want to write write-ups for Hamptons. Believe it or not, I actually don't care what Tinsley Mortimer does. (Alright, I do. But just a little.)

And Poli Sci? Doesn't it just stench of Law? And no, Sir Zaraspe, no matter how much you try to Vampire Eric glamor me, I WILL NOT go to Law School (Haha, okay, that sounded like Kreacher). I'd rather be a journalist than a lawyer. But I'd rather be something else than a journalist. And I'd rather live in the moment and insist of being a high school student than being any of that.

And now, because I'm so damn smart, I can't change my courses anymore. God, sometimes I can see Darwin looking down on me, counting how many hours left 'til I drop dead.

Dilemma #2: The Ateneo (or "I haven't written a single thing on my app form")
Okay, I have no idea what I want to do in Ateneo. I want to go to the school, definitely. But I don't really know what I want to take up. Being me, of course I'm leaning towards the liberal arts, the Ateneo's specialty. Here are the choices as of now (in no particular order):

BFA Art Management - School of Humanities
AB Communication - School of Social Sciences
AB Humanities - School of Humanities
AB History - School of Social Sciences
AB Social Sciences - School of Social Sciences
AB Panitikan (Filipino) - School of Humanities (HAHA OMG)
AB Economics - School of Social Sciences
BS Legal Management - John Gokongwei School of Management
BS Communication Technology Management - John Gokongwei School of Management
Minor in Hispanic Studies - School of Social Sciences (Obviously not a course, but I want to take it so it's on the list)

If anyone can help me shorten this into a list of four items, I'll be forever grateful. Yes, yes, the general consensus is "Anong trabaho mo diyan?" Even Ms. Martha flat out told me to my face, "Are you sure?" with a worried expression when she saw my first choice in my UP app (ehem, Art Studies). But I don't want to give up on our country's dwindling, virtually non-existent media-independent culture. And if no one will take me in, as my cousin currently studying opera singing in Italy advises me, I shall go to Europe where art is life. Or just end up in a call center where, according to Vicky, all the great minds of my generation go.

So you guys just bookkeep accounts, build your corporate enterprises, and do whatever it is you love because I'm fine, really. And there's this ingenious thing called "shifting" which all colleges have. It's a lovely system, definitely worth looking up.

Dilemma #3: La Salle (or "I haven't written anything on my app form, part deux")
La Salle is very tricky. It's more a Church of Business than of anything else. I've been fumbling with the viewbook for ages now, browsing and taking in every word. But... what to take? I've slashed off the possibility of majoring in Industrial Management Engineering Minor in Information Technology or anything of that sort. I mean, I can't even grasp the title.

And La Salle is even trickier because of the extensive list of choices. Like if you want to take Economics, they can ask you: Do you want Applied Economics or just Economics? And then: You can pair that with Applied Corporate Management, Business Management... the list goes on. Under my sister's friend's advice, I want to take a LIA-COM 5-year course. Because I'm just so in love with education that way.

AB major in Communication Arts and BS in Advertising Management
AB major in Communication Arts and BSC in Legal Management
AB major in History
AB in Philippine Studies major in Filipino Mass Media
BS in Economics and BS in Business Management
BS in Economics and BS in Advertising Management
BS in Economics and BS in Applied Corporate Management
BS in Applied Corporate Management
BS in Business Management
BS in Advertising Management
AB in Philippine Studies major in Filipino Mass Media and BS in Advertising Management

This is notedly worse than my Ateneo list. And yeah, only La Salle can strip me of my hippie-ness. That's just how it's done. La Salle is in need of only three choices. This is getting harder and harder by the minute.

Dilemma #4: DLS-CSB (or, "To apply or not apply, that is the question")
I'm against the fence on whether or not I should still bother applying to DLS-CSB. On one hand, if I apply and fail miserably at the ACET and the UPCAT, I can still pursue my annoying insistence on the arts. On the other hand, it has a wayward reputation, that is another application fee to pay, and the odds of me being able to afford going there is like if Dan Radcliffe flies to the Philippines to see my sister (okay, okay the odds of me being able to afford CSB is staggeringly higher than that, but still.) But back to the positive hand, I may just be able to quality for a scholarship here. I can feel it.

For the sake of completion, here's a list:

AB in Arts Management
AB major in Consular and Diplomatic Affairs
BS in Hotel, Restaurant and Institution Management

I have this screwed up dream of being a chef with credit to the Pixar film, Ratatouille. I just felt the need to explain myself.

The End
Now help me! Comment and advise me!

If you dream of being an Industrial Engineer but have no idea exactly what Industrial Engineers do or find yourself in a similar situation, this site has all the info you need about every college major imaginable, as well as possible careers.

Ruffles are for rich people

2009-07-04T01:24:27Z

What's going on?

This Week: Sir Z is off doing post-wedding stuff, so he isn't around school to teach us about Article VI - VIII. :( Sad face.

Monday - I passed the Debate Team screening administered by members of the UP Debate Society (!!!). Not bad, eh? Not bad at all considering I never thought I'd make it. Seriously, my motion was pretty crappy. "THBT social networking sites should be banned." I thought I went around and around the topic like a broken record. Apparently not, seeing as how I passed. Yay to me! :D

Okay, this is totally contradictory to the post just below this one. But try-outs were held on Monday instead of Thursday because of the suspension of classes.

Tuesday - Because Sir Z is out of commission, this week our class was subbed by Mrs. J, or Ms. R as I knew her back in 2nd year. She's... quite something. :)) Oh, and I found out that the Conference Room has been revamped with new paint, and an organizational structure chart with pictures--my classmates ogled at it for a good 10 minutes. And there are now two overhead air conditioners, so it's no longer hot in there. Plus the table with the stripper hole in the middle has lost its stripper hole. It's just a table now. Shame.

Oh, and Ms. Calero gave me a star! It's for the Take 10 from 2 weeks ago, which I only saw last Tuesday because I was flu-infested for the entire week last week. Okay, this is such a shallow thing to write about. :)) But I love my star. Haha.

Wednesday - 2 weeks ago, I auditioned to be a writer for the Theresian magazine. The challenge was writing a piece about A(H1N1) and somehow finding a way to connect it to the Theresian community (yes, they actually used the term "Theresian community"). I wrote down everything Sir Z (God bless him!) ever said about A(H1N1). So I guess it's no surprise I got in as a newswriter. And no, Daryll, newswriters aren't lowly scum under features writers just because Belay is a features writer. It's not my fault she doesn't listen to Sir Z. Hmph. :))

Thursday - I don't believe anything special happened on Thursday, except for the Rel video shoot which wasn't specially special anyway. I came to school with my squatter clothes in a paper bag. :)) Because that's my role in the video, "squatter". (Aren would say something smart like, "They're called 'informal settlers'!"). Julia was a rapist. Cris was a rapee. =)) I'm not laughing because I think rape or the plight of the urban poor is funny. I'm laughing because I'm immature. :)) Next.

We didn't finish the video inside Ms. Tsaby's allotted time frame so we had to go overtime, which was a problem since Belay had an RDK thing. (And duh, RDK things take foreverrrr). We dropped the squatter theme (it's super cliche anyway) and just went with an intro in our school uniform.

Friday - I was absent due to "exhaustion". And I shanghaied my sister's The Graveyard Book because I thought she was done reading it. And because I like to read things when I'm sick. (Last week, it was Bea's sister's copy of Stephen Chbosky's The Perks of Being a Wallflower) Apparently not. I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I hate it when people read my books before I do too. She's probably super pissed at me. I don't mind. Isn't the first time, wouldn't be the last time.

And the PC's monitor exploded or something. Now it's just the laptop, plus three people. :-\ You can just imagine... Oh, and I missed my First Ever Debate Team Meeting. :( Sad face.

Highlight of the Week: I found out I'm number 51 in a batch of 284. Like I said, not bad at all.

Land of the Living Dead

2009-06-22T05:16:22Z

Three weeks into school and I've already been asked to go home!? I have flu. Does this mean I can't audition for Debate anymore? How fair is that, it's not my fault I'm sick!

:( Sad face.

The Music Project I can't wait for

2009-06-13T15:55:37Z

Ms. Ilano dropped the Musical Play Consisting of Excerpts from Popular Musicals/Movie-Musicals. Instead, she's asking us to create an original work. As in an original (albeit jukebox) musical! Bring out your Ricky Lee Scriptwriting guides, everyone. I sense great fun coming this way.

I'm being overexcited, of course.I mean, this thing is months and months away. But why not throw ideas around anyway?

Here's the thing: Some of the most successful musicals ever have downright weird stories. Case in point: A tale of vaudeville-aspiring murderesses in Chicago; A deformed genius living in the sewers of the Paris Opera in Phantom of the Opera; A bunch of druggies in the Alphabet City in Rent; and puppets talking (nay, singing!) about real life in Avenue Q.

So time to think of something wild and crazy for this project. I'm so ready to create a Lines, Vines and Trying Times-structured musical. :))

Consider me destroyed

2009-06-12T18:05:50Z

I don't know if it's the new school schedule, my bangs, my tendency to read and re-read all the Regulus parts in HBP and DH (I'm sick, I know!), or my new Economics teacher, but I have a breakout. As in, acne. It's gross. I don't know why the hell I'm writing it right now, but I guess it's to compensate for the stagnant inactivity that has been my blog for the past week.

I'm not really feeling school. I mean, I've never felt it, but at least I still have my grips on straight on the requirements thing. So far, at least. I have some scary teachers (name-dropping is a low activity, so I'd rather not). But JSYK, there are three very scary teachers. I'll let you guess who they are.

I'm going to ramble on stupidly for 10 minutes. I just decided that a minute ago. So at 2:03, I should be done with this entry. Yes, it's the crack of dawn. I fell asleep from 5-something PM to 11 PM, so I don't really know when I'm going to fall asleep.

I realize this won't be very CWJ-ish without a topic. Yesterday, (or 2 days ago rather, since it's already Saturday in theory) Ms. Callero asked us "If I were a color, I would be ______." I answered that I would be one of those strange colors found only in a 100 Crayola box set like "midnight moon" or "seafoam". It's a great intro, but I didn't really stick with it very well because we only had 10 minutes to write and Ms. Callero insisted that our pens never leave the filler paper. And I hate that, because if you do that, you're left with unintelligble crap like this blog entry. :( There's no structure to it, and I like structure. Structure is good. I think my Physics teacher's OCD is rubbing off on me.

In the middle of the essay (BTW, I don't know why I'm starting a new paragraph either!), I literally had to write "Okay, that line of reasoning was stupid. I really have run out of ideas." (Because before we started the Take 10--clever name, huh?--she said we had to write 'I've ran out of ideas' if we ran out of ideas). Aren told me she had written crap about American Idol. :)) Structure-obsessed as I am, I tried to stay on-topic and I didn't write down all the crap spinning in my head about Spock and Obi-Wan Kenobio (separately, and not necessarily in that order).

Wow, I have 3 minutes to go and ramble on still. :( What to write about?

Nick Jonas is freaking amazing. :)) He might be the ugliest Jonas (stop denying it, the guy looks a bit smashed), but he's got the most talent. And who needs looks when you've got talent, right Joe? Okay, Joe has both. More of looks than talent. But he still has talent (damn good at the tambourine, he is). But Nick's got more talent.

2 minutes to go...

I've been reading Black family fan fics, deviating from just the usual Marauder stories. Yes, I'm talking about HP, of course. I'm kind of in love with Regulus Black, which is so wrong. :)) miyukaii can have Sirius. Nobody wants Regulus anyway, so he's mine. Wow, this is so malabo.

What else? I hate madeuplies and oh_so_risque right now for reasons that shall not be disclosed here. :)) (GUYS, THAT MEANS YOU CAN'T COMMENT ON IT HERE, M'KAY? GOD, I REALLY HATE YOU AREN. THINKING BACK, I SHOULDN'T HAVE TALKED TO YOU AT ALL AT CWJ)

And it stops here, folks. See, Ms. Callero? Unintelligible crap. :( I'm really upset with my self if this is the best I can do. Damn, I really should have picked a topic.

EDIT/ If you've read The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time, I sound like Christopher when I'm rambling on, don't I? If you're unfamiliar with it, here's all you need to know: Christopher is autistic. Damn, I knew I had an underlying mental condition of some sort. That may be why I have a thing for Regulus Black and He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named (Ugh, no, not Voldemort, I'm not that sick).

Rog, I kind of hate you right now. Is that okay?

2009-06-06T02:31:24Z

That's all I need to show you.

Q. I imagine you can’t be happy, of course. But at least you can feel satisfied you fought so well against Federer.

JUAN MARTIN DEL POTRO: Yes, but I really wanted to be in that final, and now I’m going to have to watch it on TV. That match was very tied, very even. I really had chances of winning.

If it had been in the best of three sets, I would have won and I would have come out of that court satisfied.

Right now, I don’t have enough words to explain what I feel. I just – that match escaped me.

Okay, so I don't--and really, can't--hate Roger Federer because it appears I am ingrained with Nadal-like graciousness deep inside me after all. No matter how much I say I hate him, I don't, because he's the reason I'm watching tennis in the first place. Without him, I wouldn't have been able to fall in love with Nadal, Murray, and of course, Boyfriend Delpo. (I think I can say his name now :)) ) So like Boyfriend, I'll be rooting for Federer in the finals too. :D He deserves to be jotted down in history. And he's the second most gracious guy on tour (after Rafa, of course.)

Like Delpo, though, I can't help but feel a little disappointed. He was, really, centimeters close to reaching that final. Plus he walked out of the court sort of crying, so yeah, my poor little heart kind of broke.

On the bright side: Delpo is no longer Fed's bitch. That job is left to A-Rod alone now. Have fun, A-Rod.

In case you still doubt his very much in tact manhood, here's the score: 63 67 (2-7) 62 16 46

Another bright side: Bea gets Php 1000 from her mom thanks to Fed. :)) Have fun, Bea dear.

To end in a funny note, it's so cute he's still planning to watch the final on TV just because it's Fed. :)) Maybe he isn't Fed's bitch anymore, but there's a lingering mancrush in there somewhere, I just know it.

One man standing

2009-06-02T21:47:25Z

Mandy fell to Gonzo, 63 36 60 64. (I cannot believe Mandy bageled!) Well, you know, at least he reached the Quarter's. :D You know me, always looking for a bright side. And congrats to Gonzo for the Semi! Great game, shame I couldn't finish it since my mom forced me to sleep already :-/.

And here is all that is left of my widget:

Go, Boyfriend. Take it as far as you can go! Until, you know, you fall to your man crush. I'll still love you though, no worries. Boyfriend faces Tommy Robredo next, whom he likes to refer to as a "clay court specialist". Man crush 2 perhaps?

Speaking of man crush, click here. It'll make you smile and you'll thank me for it later.

1 man standing in my faves, and 1 man standing of the Big Four. I'd say "Go Fed", but he has a lot on his side already. He can do without me.

I end with a quotation from Boyfriend's "Up Close and Personal" interview:

What’s the worst thing that could happen to you before a match?
I can’t stand it when people touch my rackets.

OCD Boyfriend. :)) FLOVE. :">

RAFA IS OUT OF ROLAND GARROS

2009-05-31T22:49:41Z

OH. MY. GOD. I am too pained to even attempt to look for pictures of this match...

Ex-boyfriend Rafa crashes out of the Francois Open c/o Mssr. Robin Soderling. (No idea if my French was correct there or not, BTW).

Rafa, darling, how did this happen? I let my mind drift out of tennis for 1 day (WELL, THANKS A LOT, STAR TREK!) and you don't even make it to RG quarters? What Satanic pagan magic could do this!?

Nole was outed yesterday. And now Rafa is out. And only 1/2 of the Big Four is still on. This is probably the most bizzaro Grand Slam everrrr. Who's going to win now? First Tennis Boyfriend Fed? Mandy?

Or even...?

I don't want to say Boyfriend's name, I might jinx his chances with Sexy Mssr. Tsonga today. But as the 'best of the rest', World No. 5, he really has a chance in this.

Goodnight, Rafa. And Good luck, Boyfriend.

And because I really can't help myself, Live Long and Prosper!

Let's change "Ako" to "Tayo"

2009-05-29T04:54:13Z

I've been meaning to express my opinion regarding the highly televised, Ely Buendia-backed Ako Mismo campaign for a while now, and I even have several Notepad drafts on the topic. I've been putting a lot of effort into making a great post about my thoughts on this campaign and other "I" campaigns targeted towards the youth (eg. I am Ninoy and the like), but unfortunately, the quality of said Notepad drafts have been a great vexation for me. Thank God because after almost a month of not visiting my favorite blog, I decided to visit it hoping to find a bit of inspiration. But I found a lot more than just that, because lo and behold my favorite blogger, Bikoy Villanueva of Bikoy.net, already has 2 (really, really, really) great posts about the Ako Mismo campaign up, and almost literally took the words I wanted to express out of my mouth.

Read the entries! Click, click, click!

I really suggest you don't skip out on this part. After all, said blogger is a student from the UP College of Law and can articulate opinions better than a hormonal incoming 4th year high school girl who is only just coming to grips with her activism.

So from this part on, basically, I'll be doing nothing else but repeating what Mr. Bikoy already stated, albeit in a less articulate manner. (This is why you should REALLY, REALLY read those entries!)

Before anything else, the embedded video bellow is what I will be referring to, so watch it now if you haven't already:

My main problem with this campaign is that it pulls in broad, country-wide issues, and implies that if Chris Tiu loves La Sallistas more, then all the issues named in the commercial (poverty, the lagging quality of education...) will be solved all of a sudden. Huh?

Before anything else, I'd just like to clarify that I hold nothing against doing little deeds to make the world a little better. If you want to smile at people more, if you want to diligently follow traffic rules, if you want to pick up the little pieces of trash that miss the bin that people don't bother to pick up, yes that does make the world a little better.

But that's the problem. It only makes the world a little better. Only by a minuscule. Yes, you've got a clean trash bin and it's lovely to look at. You've managed to make some stranger a little more optimistic because of your smile. There's less cursing in the streets of Manila because you didn't bother to try to get away with that illegal overtake.

But that doesn't change the fact that a large slice of the Filipino people are starving because of poverty. The tuition fees of 1 out of 5 schools in the Metro will still increase. No matter how many traffic signs you follow, no matter how much candy wrappers you pick up, even if you break your cheek bones trying to smile 24/7, these realities run rampid in the country. And they WON'T CHANGE.

What's worse is that by insisting that "if the Filipino people change then the country will" then isn't that also a way of saying that only we are to blame for the ever-multiplying problems of our nation?

Here's the painful reality: We're missing a rather important part in our little change equation. And that missing "x" is the government, this system we are currently barred under. No matter how many Ako Mismo dog tags we swing on our necks, no matter how much we insist we will emulate Mr. Ninoy Aquino and wear all the shirts, the individual alone cannot repair the system. A single individual cannot cleanse our government of all its ills. Case in point: EDSA and EDSA II. (And like my parents who were an active participant in both EDSA's, it deeply saddens me that EDSA II only lead our country to a darker place.)

Why not instead of just change "Ako" to "Tayo"? As the old saying goes, "Two heads are better than one". Or even, "Together we stand, divided we fall". (The latter is probably more effective in backing my point up.) Forget inspiring the individual to pray more, to put school rivalries aside. Isn't that just good manners? Isn't that what is expected of every individual already? Instead, let's move into the "we" factor, of what we can change together.

But of course, Mr. Bikoy already answers this question: "Collective action is too dangerous for the status quo. It’s all about pacifying the individual to be content with the things he already does and to buy a dog tag, a t-shirt, or a bracelet to show it off." (from "On 'Ako Mismo'", link above). In this day and age of "No Permit, No Rally" (except in Makati, GO BINAY 2010 lol), a country-wide media-backed group collective to initiate change in the country and in the system is just plain subversive. Let's just stick to the "me" and "I", to be safe.

What do you guys think of the Ako Mismo campaign? Express your opinions even if they go against mine, that's your right.:D Go ahead, share your thoughts. :P This is the first serious entry I've had in forever.

PS: Thank you, Mr. Bikoy for reminding me why I belong in UP.

The crap I do instead of reviewing for the (mock) ACET

2009-05-24T11:56:25Z

ARRRGGHHH.

I hate Math.
I hate Math.
I hate Math.
I hate Math.
I hate Math.
I hate Math.
I hate Math so bloody much.

And all of you are so lucky I just read a Harry Potter fan fic and am therefore more inclined to British English expressions, otherwise, that "bloody" might have been something else entirely. Hmph.

This is me, ranting, when I'm supposed to be reviewing for tomorrow's mock ACET in the little horrible world that is LSC. At this point, as much as I am honestly, sincerely, trying to force my brain to please be interested in radical functions and logarithms, it really, really won't participate. Not that I blame it at all, when it knows it could be enjoying watching sexy, internally-conflicted Sylar in Heroes S3E04, or could be browsing dA senselessly (NO, I DO NOT SEARCH FOR HETALIA FANART!!!!!). So even though I have all the proper educational websites opened, I also have one tab that has Aren's LJ open (yes, I'm making up for not commenting in forever--please ignore the fact that I'm being sneaky about it and have only recently just got around to it when I'm avoiding doing something else).

Did I mention sexy, internally-conflicted Sylar in just, like, a sando thing? Sylar, who looks so much like Boyfriend Delpo? In a sando thing? UGH, I don't want to take the entrance exams anymore! Please, just let me watch Heroes!

But, no. Thank God, for He hath still created a sensible side of me, despite making me as lazy as a damn sloth. (This is a joke, btw, I have no one to blame for myself for being as lazy as a damn sloth. Sorry for dragging God into it, Vicky). This is my *future* we're talking about. You know, the less societally-shunned but relatively more fear-inducing f-word. A BFA Art Management degree from *cue maarte accent* The Ateneo can land me a job in the Ayala Museum. Which, in case you don't know about my fondness towards museums, is kind of a dream of mine.

So give me a few more minutes of internal debate (Look, Sylar, I'm internally-conflicted too!). Let the Sloth and the Sensible One throw each other a few swings before the Sensible One talks the Sloth to boredom and finally concedes to reviewing the whole damn LSC math curriculum (yeah, there's a Math Comprehensive too.. am I the only one kind of pissed there isn't an English comprehensive?) OMG, why am I speaking of myself like I'm Harvey Dent? Or maybe even a screwed up, three-sided Harvey Dent?

MY SISTER'S SHOES ARE LIKE, SO PRETTY. LIKE JAN DI'S SHOES, THE ONES THAT BROKE LEADING JI HOO TO BUY HER A NEW PAIR. Hahaha, I don't know why I just typed that in all caps.

Alright, FIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIINE. I'll study na. UGH. First, let me erase images of sexy, internally-conflicted Sylar in a sando thing from my head.

Happy thoughts.

Scratch that. I'll just go with Boring thoughts.

Off to hit the books now. Which is, like, a euphemism for "hitting the hay" *wink, wink*. ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ

Hey, that had a figure of speech, which qualifies for reviewing in English. HAHAHA.

Bye, crew. ;-)

PASTA!

2009-05-19T00:37:47Z

Hetalia:faces of the nations by =brilcrist on deviant ART

Watch this show. It's so... weird. In a good Haruki Murakami way.

It's called Hetalia: Axis Powers. Basically, each country that played some part in WWII gets its (his/her?) own character and gets to squabble with its allies and enemies. And, ah, not-squabble too. *hem hem*

TOP: ALLIED FORCES - England (believes in unicorns and can't cook), America (writes his allies off as his "support" and eats tons and tons of burgers), Russia (is sweet but is mentally disturbed, like, really disturbed), France (manwhore. What else?)

BOTTOM: AXIS POWERS - Germany (all bossy and war-minded), Japan (is easily culture shocked and only talks when he deems it necessary), Italy (artsy gourmet who knows nothing of war but surrendering).

I stayed up at around 1:20 AM-ish just to reach episode 15. It's all good fun, especially when some scenes pop up and then you silently exclaim to yourself because SIR REHOY SO TAUGHT US THAT. Hahaha.

Alright, alright, maybe I'm a bit late with this thing. But remember I don't really like anime save for a few. This one is definitely one of those few.

So this post didn't make any sense. I'm off!

More cute Rafa

2009-05-01T00:34:01Z

Because I can. Probably only my sister will care, but whatevs.

Also cute: Jamie & Andy Murray (those unkempt British guys who can't drive), Gilles Simon (the one who said "Astin Martin" straight away without any explanation), and JMDP.

Super Sexy: Jo Tsonga and voice. Damn the French!

Jonas Commentary #1: Joe Jonas reveals to Seventeen something we've known for ages now...

Joe Jonas may have moved on from Taylor Swift with starlet Camilla Belle, but he’ll always have Swift’s song “Forever and Always” to remind him of their time together.

The break-up song doesn’t bother the 19-year-old one bit. “It’s flattering,” Joe tells Seventeen magazine in the June issue. “It’s always nice to hear their side of the story.” (From MTV.com via JonasHQ)

That he's a total arrogant prat. But I just read Harry Potter and the images of young Sirius Black and young James Potter are burning frivolously in my mind. So I think I kind of love it.

Oh, and btw, Joe is the one in the middle flanked by ~~F1 and F2~~ Nick and Kevin in their June Seventeen cover. Alrighty, let's move on...

Jonas Commentary #2: Nick stuffs 7 things up Miley's gob...

From the press release of Lines, Vines and Trying Times, the JoBros' upcoming (4th?) studio album:

Lines, Vines and Trying Times showcases an incredible musical journey by the Jonas Brothers, as well as their growth as songwriters and musicians. They’ve incorporated horns into several songs, as well as harmonicas and peddle steel guitars. The first single, “Paranoid,” is a guitar driven dance evoking song, and the entire CD is a veritable smorgasbord of pop and rock gems. “World War III” is a funk metaphor for a confrontational relationship. Written by Nick Jonas, he asserts, “This is a personal experience for me. ‘World War III’ deals with the challenge of a girl who keeps attacking you, provoking you, trying to fight you, but all the while she’s the only one fighting.” “Fly With Me” which is also the end title credit for the upcoming “Night At The Museum 2″ film (due in theaters May 22), was written by Jonas Brothers and their bass player Greg Garbowsky, and is sure to become a love song for the ages. On “Poison Ivy” Jonas Brothers added a horn section. In their summer music preview issue, Rolling Stone described the ultracatchy “Poison Ivy” as a “Weezer-ish tune about a toxic girl that you can’t resist.” “Hey Baby” is a classic “she done him wrong” song written entirely by Jonas Brothers. “We wrote this song for the last record while on the road and felt the old school sound was more cohesive with our present style,” explains Nick Jonas. (From JonasHQ)

Maybe it's a double deal and applies to Taylor Swift too. And look, Ate, Garbo participation!

Jonas Commentary #3: Kevin makes 'JONAS' worth watching...

From a review of 'JONAS' from the Sun Times:

On the episode I screened, Nick was the weak link — odd, considering he’s got Broadway experience. He underplays his part, which is a mistake when you’re in competition with gimmicky sound effects. Nick told People magazine, “Kevin is not afraid to go over the top to get a laugh, and I am.” So at least he is aware of the problem. But if he’s hoping to emerge from this Faustian bargain with Disney with his dignity intact, he is in for profound disappointment.

The boys josh with each other, flirt with girls, slide down fireman poles, make dumb jokes and talk to the camera. Occasionally their rabid fans chase them and try to tear their clothes off. Occasionally the boys break into song. The amateur acting is endearing until they play a scene opposite someone with real comedic timing — like John Ducey, who plays their dad. He puts Billy Ray Cyrus’ plodding one-liners on “Hannah” to shame.

Joe, who wanted to be a comedian before he was a singer, has more fun, and Kevin, 21, is perfectly silly in the show. Kevin can be overshadowed by his hottie brothers and their sugar-buzz love lives, but he emerges as the leader on “JONAS” — and even dares to reveal a hint of chest hair.

With time, the brothers will probably loosen up. For now, it’s slightly more amusing to watch for the creative variations on private school uniforms. If the Jonases’ plaid messenger bags start a trend, you’ll know the show is a hit. (From JonasHQ-do I have other sources?)

~~Chest hair, you say?~~ I'll beam proudly in the corner now. The entire review is worth a breeze-through. Read the entire thing here.

*Bow*

PS: I had a nightmare about a Siberian tiger attacking me. Just thought I'd share it, it was definitely worse than the Jane Fonda ones.

If you were a member of Ateneo's College of Humanities application committee...

2009-04-24T09:07:51Z

...would you admit me?

I've had apprehensions about applying to Ateneo for ages now. I want to apply to Ateneo. I'm not daft enough to not to want to apply. Just call it nerves. I'm afraid of not qualifying. It's silly, I know, considering I won't even know whether or not I'll qualify if I won't apply in the first place. But I don't want to go into it as a "try" thing. As Yoda wisely advised Luke in Empire Strikes Back, "Do or do not. There is no try." If I'm going to apply, I want to know that I at least have a chance of actually qualifying.

Now... will you? And I don't want the "pasang awa" thing, I want an honest opinion. Is it okay-lang, or sort of good enough that I just might qualify for a scholarship if I present a dramatic enough sob story? (Wala akong pang-Ateneo. Sad, right?)

PS: If you actually solved for the values in red, go here and look "sarcasm" up.

Poetry and tennis, ♥

2009-04-22T06:45:12Z

I've never been a big poetry fan. However, If by Rudyard Kipling is one of those rare poems that can inspire without confusing, that is worth-reading despite having no relations whatsoever about romantic love (which, by the way, is how most teenagers gauge "worth-reading"). Yes, I have a shallow view of literature, but I plead 15 years old.

PS: How cute is Rafa? :))

One-sentence fun with James and Lily

2009-04-21T03:50:45Z

Inspired from the folks over at sobi_fans (Star Wars dorkville over there, be careful), here's to James and Lily Potter for making the whole story possible to begin with. Gah, I love them so much! Another reason why the Marauders era is so much cooler than Harry and the Kids anyway. It's pretty hard to explain, but all you need to know is that I randomly selected word prompts that sort of "inspire" each sentence. And yes, most of them aren't one sentences at all, more run-ons, but I hope I can get away with that.

These are random peeks at scenes in the lives of James and Lily. There isn't a particular straight timeline to follow, so it's just random and scattered, but I hope you will still understand it. Needless to say, you must've read Harry Potter to be familiar with what I'll be prattling on about under the cut. Watching the movies just isn't enough.

Another thing you must know beforehand, it's been a long time since 3rd grade, so forgive any mistakes I might have made and do not hesitate to correct me.

1. Confession
Through the years, he had proclaimed his love for her a total of 892 times, and she retaliated by running the opposite direction as fast as she could; after the 893rd time, she burst into tears and pressed kisses all over his relieved face.

2. Sirius
It was perplexing to her why every time they fought, there was always a huge black dog to push and prod her to go where he was, with roses in hand and a million apologies to say.

3. Red
He indignantly walked out of class after Professor Binns had enough of his mind “always drifting” and requested he leave instead; he couldn’t help it, the sight of the sun spilling over her hair always enchanted him.

4. Petunia
His eyes flew from her to her sister and back again; it’s impossible, he thought, that these two are related.

5. Quidditch Cup
It was here, amidst all the cheering Gryffindors, flashing cameras and one very teary-eyed Professor McGonagall that he decided to pick her up in his arms and kiss her for the whole common room to see.

6. Lost
He sank to the ground lifeless and cold after a grimacing flash of green light, taking her heart with him.

7. Table
She prayed he wouldn’t notice that dinner for that night was a microwave-only chicken she picked up just fifteen minutes earlier from a Muggle grocery store.

8. Secret
He smirked to himself, recognizing the familiar taste of microwave chicken, something that Remus’ mother had introduced to them during their visit the summer before their Fourth Year; it was, she had insisted, a secret Remus’ father must never know about.

9. Compliment
After the meal, he gave her a kiss and told her what a wonderful cook she was.

10. Desperate
The sight of Snape, especially when said elitist waste of organs shadowed her in everything she did, never failed to make his stomach lurch.

11. Bane
His eyes were the shade of soft butterscotch especially on lazy spring days when the sun glistened on his glasses; not that she ever noticed, of course.

12. Change
He sheepishly laughed when he showed her strands of gray hair on his head, a marvelous feat at 20 years old, and only then did she notice how pale he had become and the bags under his eyes; war had taken its toll on him deeply.

13. Rain
She sank to her knees, seeing him limp on the ground, the puddles around him splashed with red; her tears mixed with the rain, her cries of agony with the roaring thunder.

14. Breath
He shakily gasped for air, pain shooting up his broken ribs; she looked up at him, relief washing over her and seeing him awake, even more tears fell from her eyes.

15. Dance
Locked in his arms with her head on his shoulder, for a moment she forgot that the world she knew was consumed by war, and just for that moment, felt completely bathed in love.

AUTHOR'S NOTES
On 7, 8, 9 (which, if you didn't notice, go together)
First of all, I don't know if microwaves existed in the `70's, which in the Harry Potter-verse, is when James and Lily were alive on this earth. So if there were no microwaves back then, then please conveniently replace 'microwave' with 'oven'. Secondly, if you think it's all a bit sexist, I'm sorry. Although that was the post-Flower Power time in which women relatively had more freedom than they did in eras past, from what I've seen on `70's movies on TCM, the working-housewife thing was still important. And it's so much like Lily, who if I take Slughorn's descriptions into account, seem to like to be good at everything she does, which includes being a good wife who cooks a good dinner every night. Or maybe you didn't notice any of this and I'm just over-explaining.

On 13 and 14 (which also go together)
13 is a James-is-injured-during-battle-and-Lily-thinks-he's-dead thing, while 14 is the OMG-he's-alive realization.

On 10
Ms. Calderon will be quite cross with me because of the million things wrong with this sentence, but for some reason I didn't want to actually name James and Lily and opted for vague pronouns. So forgive the wrong-ness of it, please.

I know that the articulation of this entry itself pretty much sucks, but please forgive me just this once, my creative juices have been all used up for writing 15 run-on sentences about James and Lily Potter.

The 'C' Word

2009-04-16T02:25:38Z

Oh, college. How fickle you are. How unattainable. How seemingly abstract. I've lost my momentum and as of late I have been unwilling to continue studying radicals when I could be surfing FF.net or Mugglenet Fan Fiction for, well, fan fiction. (I found this great Lauren/Jasper fan fic, and it just works. Or, I could just hate Alice that much). And Force, I've always hated radicals! And really long, confusing exponents with its own set of really long, confusing rules.

But I come bearing

Good news: I've gone a long way in my course choices. I'm actually getting somewhere. I've narrowed down my choices quite clearly. Here's a breakdown:

UP-Diliman
> Art Studies - As the name implies, the study of art theory. Talent Test? No, that's just disastrous, I am in no means a Fine Arts girl. I am, however, an Arts and Letters girl all the way. Subjects include Arts of the World (I, II, III), Introduksyon sa Panitikan ng Pilipinas, Perspectives in Art History, Pagsalin, and a 3-unit Art Criticism practicum. See the curriculum for yourself, click. Career opportunities are aplenty in feilds or research and curatorship. So I can be in a museum handling art. Cool.

> Library and Information Science - Here's a de Lima family background: This course has been a running joke in my family since my cousin suggested it to my cousin nearly 2 years ago when it was her who was making the college choices. Consider it an inside joke which you simply wouldn't get unless you're a de Lima. But I took a shot at digging up the curriculum and found that it's not so bad at all. It's up for download here. No, I'm not going to be the future Mrs. Borja. Not only is this a good "AB Undecided" course because of the fine background in research which is a must for every course there is, job opportunities are aplenty in, what else, research. So I can be in a museum handling archives. Cool.

> History - I'm against the wall with this one. I haven't seen the curriculum, but the one in Silliman has Plane Trigonometry. Ugh, really?

So which course should I take? Suggesting ones that aren't in the list can be good help. And! Please account for my weaknesses in your suggestions. Namely, Math. I suck at Math like no one has ever sucked at Math before. The highest grade I ever got in Algebra (like, ever!) is 84. The highest grade I ever got in Geom is 86. I'm a dismal, dismal Math dunce. So know poking me to jump into Accountancy, okay? (I mean you, Vicky!)

Dumbass

2009-04-15T23:00:55Z

Funny story--

Yesterday, or earlier today (it was like 2 am), I was bored and I couldn't sleep so I decided to trim my bangs.

Lesson learned: Don't trim your bangs at 2 in the fracking morning.

A slip of the hand. An unwilling snip. And now certain parts of my bangs are cut at the same level as the very curve of my eyebrows. They're so short, I would laugh if it wasn't my hair.

Arrgh. I guess I'll have to wear my bangs side swept to the right until it grows back.

I am such a [See Title].

BTW, my icons are getting sooo old. I need a revamp. :P But I can't find who to credit so I guess the "revamp" will take longer than expected.:(

YES. HE. FRACKING. CAN.

2009-04-03T09:47:21Z

Boyfriend Delpo beat ex-boyfriend Rafa in the Sony Ericson Open quarter's, 6-4, 3-6, 7-6 (3) in a dramatic 3-hour affair. He beat fracking Rafael Nadal. I didn't even bother to find a stream for this match because I thought he'd just fold over like he did with Rog in the Oz Open quarter's (I love you Delpo, but that was still painful). But he didn't. He was wonderful, and he didn't lose hope even if Rafa already had a 3-love lead on him. He's just... GAH!

Give the kid time to hone and improve his game. And then (Bea, take note!)

You'll be next, Roger Federer.
(That is, if Rog doesn't retire by then lol).

Muzza is up next. Hmmm. Total internal conflict ongoing, but I'm sticking my guns to Delpo this time as an apology for my shameless doubt.

PS: Roman Holiday is so depressing. :( I'm going to search for fan fics to heal the hurt.

THUD

2009-03-30T04:03:50Z

To the unfortunate people who have been ignorant of his existence up until this moment, meet Gael Garcia Bernal. I described him to my sister as "Gaspard, but Mexican."

Check it:

TY, Gael Fan.

I'm alarmed at myself. Have I stopped blogging for so long I now have the comprehension prowess of Paris Hilton?

Unfortunately, most of his movies are in Spanish (Why are we the only Spanish colony that can't speak, well, Spanish!?). Check out The Motorcycle Diaries, where he plays a young Che Guevara traveling through Latin America. It's the 9-month long journey that transformed wide-eyed Ernesto Guevara dela Serna into Ernesto "Che" Guevara the revolutionary, the legend, the myth

But if you don't care for the history lesson, I'll forgive you just this one time. Turn off the subtitles and just stare at him. The movie spans about 2 hours. That's plenty of staring time.

You'll have to forgive me. This is one of those blog entries that doesn't make sense. It's just that I promised my sister I'd blog more, about anything really, and I'm sure Gael Garcia Bernal falls under "anything".

Anything else?